Changing of the Guard
by Never learned to code
Summary: The Old Men. Anger. Their plans for godhood derailed by children...CHILDREN! Their retaliation will be swift, and their plans to make themselves gods will be rekindled anew... Deus Ex Crossover. Ch. 11: The gunwank episode.
1. Lucky Man

Disclaimer: Evangelion is property of Gainax/Studio Khara; If I owned it, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. I don't own Deus Ex, either.  
This is the sequel to 'Make Yourself a Legend'. I highly recommend you finish that story to understand some of the points you'll see here.

* * *

**Changing of the**** Guard**

Chapter 1: Lucky Man

* * *

Early Summer, 2015. In an apartment belonging to Misato Katsuragi on the shielded dome city of Tokyo-3...

* * *

He had white horses and ladies by the score, all dressed in satin and waiting by the door.  
Ooh, what a lucky man he was. Ooh, what a lucky man he was...

* * *

He had long given up on the waterlogged SDAT tape player he owned of his late father, and was now listening to old rock songs in English on his new Galaxy Gear 2 computer watch. That UN paycheck he received was finally worth it; seeing as how he wasn't fighting for his life anymore, he no longer felt like a piece of disposable equipment. Now, his commanding officer ordered him to pursue a more academic target: Colonel Katsuragi had ordered him to start learning fluent spoken and written English, as Japan's branch of the NERV Special Agency had reached astronomical levels of fame and influence after the dispersal of documentation proving the Japanese Military's betrayal and surprise attack on their former ally, and now the leadership and primary personnel of NERV-Japan were international icons- able to issue demands straight to the United Nations -in addition to the successful defenders of humankind's right to survive. With their new power came a new need to communicate, and as such, he found himself reading, writing, and speaking the UN's version of international English almost exclusively.

His immediate superior, a skilled but unorthodox young British woman, had suggested he use Rosetta Stone language education software to study, and gave him a treasure trove of British culture to immerse himself in: A television series starring a time travelling English Doctor, an English comedy troupe's series' and films; particularly one film mocking and skewering the legend of King Arthur, a series of books and films centred around an English MI6 Agent that reminded him of Colonel Katsuragi's fiancée, the legendary Sherlock Holmes treasury, and albums from famous English musicians. She had given him excellent music, from sources such as the loud and hard Led Zepplin and Eric Clapton, the deeply philosophical Pink Floyd, and the eclectic Emerson, Lake and Palmer; whose lyrics he and his lovely, constant companion were now contemplating.

* * *

White lace and feathers, they made up his bed, a gold covered mattress on which he was laid.  
Ooh, what a lucky man he was. Ooh, what a lucky man he was...

* * *

"Does 'luck' come with the possessions of royalty, Shinji? This song appears to describe a medieval lord or king." She asked from her position, curled up against his side. They were sharing a pair of earbuds and were both exhausted, him from another long day of drills and tests from his war machine, the building-sized Evangelion Unit-01, and her from a day of physical therapy and exercise, and college preparatory studying.

To be fair, their life had been relatively...normal in the months following the Japanese Special Defense Force's failed sneak attack on their lives. First Lieutenant Shinji Ikari, 15 years old, remained one of the two Evangelion Pilots in Japan, tasked with defending the country from extraterrestrial or supernatural threats, neither of which had appeared since the 'death' of the Second Angel, one of a progenitor race of beings that attempted to absorb all life on Earth. His time was spent between staying on reserve alert and learning the UN's administrative language, while -retired- First Lieutenant Rei Ayanami, also (sort of) 15 years old, prepared to enter her first year at Tokyo-3's premier research university; she was genuinely brilliant for her age, evidenced by her acceptance and scholarship. The first day of school was still a month and a half away, but she needed all of that time to recover from the extensive injuries she endured during the campaign against the Angels. Now, she was spending her days either performing physical therapy exercises, swimming (to Shinji's delight _and_ embarrassment, as he still couldn't swim as excellently as she can, but he never argued with watching her glide through the water in a swimsuit), or studying early for her entry into the medical school at Tokyo University. She once told Shinji how she hated the constant tests and procedures she underwent as a little girl, and how she hoped to invent new systems to make children's medical treatments more pleasant.

"I think it's saying that he's lucky because he's successful, Rei, not the other way around. I know for sure that I never felt lucky until _after_ all the crap we've been through ended..." He shifted on the couch they were cuddling on, awkwardly trying to get more comfortable against the girl molded into his side.

* * *

He went to fight wars for his country and his king. Of his honor and his glory, the people would sing.  
Ooh, what a lucky man he was. Ooh, what a lucky man he was...

* * *

"You know...I'm glad most people don't know it was us in the Evas. I couldn't handle the constant attention. Honor and Glory, nothing."

"Don't you take pride in your accomplishments, Shinji?"

"Sure I do, but I don't brag about them. Now, I might brag about _you_..." He started tickling her around her waist and navel, hearing the soft laughter that reduced his brain to mush. "I'm happy things are better, Rei."

Her breathing slowed and she melted into his warmth. "I am too, Shinji. I once felt that death, for me, would be relief; your father's plan would offer me the comfort and release from the pain I'd been conditioned to accept. Now that I have so much to live for, I plan leave the world a better place than I entered it."

"You wanted to die that badly, back then?"

"When you know that you were born to be a doomsday weapon, you can have very skewed priorities. But that part of me is gone, now. I can feel my strength returning more and more each day. Waking up to your kiss each morning is what I really look forward to." He humoured her.

* * *

A bullet had found him, his blood ran as he cried, no money could save him, so he laid down and died.  
Ooh, what a lucky man he was. Ooh, what a lucky man he was...

* * *

"Maybe our story won't have a tragic ending like his did..." Shinji thought out loud as the music ended. He looked down to see that Rei had already fallen asleep. He looked out at the starry sky through their window. = But I should know not to tempt fate like that... =

* * *

Inside a darkened room...

SEELE-01 SOUND ONLY: "If Instrumentality is impossible due to the destruction of our target, then the contingency must be enacted."

SEELE-03 SOUND ONLY: "The Singularity, really? That's your solution? It will take decades before the majority of the world's population is integrated."

SEELE-01 SOUND ONLY: "And? Is it not necessary to prepare decades ahead of our goals?"

SEELE-03 SOUND ONLY: "Yes, but neither biointerface has moved beyond the prototype stage-"

SEELE-05 SOUND ONLY: "Incorrect. The mechanical biochip is being readied for distribution by Tai-Yong as we speak. Only the nanite biochip is still on the drawing board."

SEELE-03 SOUND ONLY: "And? The mechanical chips have a 100% rejection rate from living hosts. The volume of Neuropazine the subjects must consume to prevent rejection provokes mental degradation within months; your test subjects are dying from degenerative brain conditions in their twenties! If we allow your 'solution', the entire world will die from Alzheimer's and we'll have nothing to lead! What good is our dominion over the world if there's nobody to serve us? Only the nanite solution is capable of integrating without killing the human being it is modifying."

SEELE-02 SOUND ONLY: "If your tirade is finished, you'll know that Sarif Industries in the United States has working prototypes for both a mechanical and nanite biochip; of course they'll be trying their damndest to prevent that information from slipping. We need to only 'encourage' them to accelerate their production and we'll have the holy grail of technology: Augmented, constantly infolinked human beings that don't suffer the rejection issues or massive disfiguration that mechanical prosthetics bring."

SEELE-05 SOUND ONLY: "Perhaps Tai-Yong should simply acquire Sarif..."

SEELE-02 SOUND ONLY: "Next to impossible; David Sarif is as shrewd and independent as Zhao Yun Ru herself, he won't be overcome unless the other company runs itself out of business in the process."

SEELE-01 SOUND ONLY: "Nevertheless, the information age is our replacement for the biologic rebirth of humanity, and our control of human enhancement is what will allow us to rule the post-human race. That said, our next order of business is to finish the little thorns at NERV. Nagisa, Ikari's bastard offspring and that apparently immortal little girl all need to die."

SEELE-05 SOUND ONLY: "We know that the Third and Fifth travel to and from the GeoFront every day. How humiliating it would be for NERV to watch as its most important assets fall before their very eyes. Let me handle their elimination, it will let me prove the power we really have over them."

* * *

A/N: I bet none of you would _ever_ expect somebody to convincingly crossover Deus Ex and Eva, would you? Mwhahahaha


	2. It's Only Business

Answers:  
Vent: I pmmed you, I hope I cleared some things up...  
Kaze: I am basing it mostly on Human Revolution, good observation.  
ShirayukiFan: If you 'haven't seen Deus Ex' you need to go download it from GOG right now, seriously it's like 2 dollars during the sales...

* * *

Chapter 2: It's Only Business

* * *

Rei opened her eyes and looked over to a clock on the wall. = 6:45 AM? What in the world is he doing at this hour? = She blinked the sleepyness away from her eyes as she listened to the sound of a bow drawn across strings coming from Shinji's room. She made the trip across the hallway to find him awake and playing.

She leaned against his doorway and raised an eyebrow. "I suppose I'm not allowed the comfort of a warm, quiet place to sleep, anymore?"

She startled him and he raked the bow across with an off-key racket following it. "Rei! You're awake?"

"Thanks to you, yes."

"I'm sorry, I just woke up really early and couldn't get back to sleep, so-"

An opportunity presented itself: "Well, the next time you want to wake me up with your cello, at least serenade me in my room with breakfast in bed waiting for me." She then saw his worried expression, this wasn't a time where teasing would help. "If you're having trouble sleeping, is something bothering you?"

"I don't know...All I have to worry about is the next round of sync tests. I guess I'm just conditioned to constantly expect bad things to happen..."

"I don't have a checkup today. I was just going to read and go to the pool later...Think you'd feel better if I were watching your test from the control room?"

"You don't have to do that, Misato and Mari will be there, so-"

"I'm doing it because I support you, too, Shinji. I may not be beside you in Unit-00 anymore, but I can always talk to you over the radio."

"Thanks, Rei, I would feel bette-"

"WHAT IN NERV WAS THAT HELLISH NOISE?"

"I believe Misato is awake with a hangover, Shinji." Rei observed about their irresponsible guardian.

* * *

It had been quite a while since Rei had walked through the security gates into NERV's upper city entrance. Being the independent girl she always has been, she saw Shinji off to work every morning and went about her own tasks, involving rigorous studying, spending quite a bit of time at their old school's swimming complex, or undergoing frequent physical exams regarding her recovery.

Today, however, she found herself riding the secure train down from the upper city to the newly-reforested GeoFront. After the Fourteenth and Second Angels caused such massive damage to their facilities, both in their attacks and in the explosions that mark an Angel's destruction, the sprawling underground fortress had undergone an extensive UN-funded upgrade which included rebuilding the pyramid wall that had been knocked out by the Fourteenth and excavating and filling the massive surface tear and crater made by the Second when it tore from the ground as it rose from deep below the GeoFront's ground level. The pristine forest that once surrounded the near-impenetrable base had been torn and strewn about, trees uprooted and fields reduced to mud. Some of the real estate, however, had been zoned and mapped with new grasses planted in fields and saplings planted in the barest areas. The UN's budget was well on its way to bringing NERV's home territory back to its original appearance, but Rei saw the volume of work that still needed to be done.

"Shinji," She spoke up from the otherwise quiet subway car. "All of this destruction...it's my doing..."

He held her hand and laced his fingers through her own. "That's not true and you know it, Rei. Most of the damage came from the Fourteenth-"

"And my attack against it."

"So you used a really big bomb against it, so what? The forest is being replanted and NERV's pyramid is getting rebuilt...Neither the Fourteenth or Lillith succeed in killing people like the Second Impact did. If you feel bad about all this, remember it's being taken care of on the UN's credit card."

"I still willingly caused the-"

"And Kaworu and I stopped it and we don't give a damn if you're the person who started it. We're going to walk into NERV and you're going to get a standing ovation when everybody sees you." Shinji looked her in her eyes with intense focus as they neared the GeoFront station.

* * *

Shinji met Kaworu in their locker room as they got dressed; his plugsuit had long lost the purple hues that matched Unit-01's purple-dominant armor. So many months of immersion in liquid and vaporized LCL and time in NERV's laundry facilities had worn the dye away from the fabric, now it was dull and grayed, as well worn as the pilot that owned it.

"Routine and Normalcy, Shinji. It really is the most valuable prize one could earn. All of the trials and hardship you've endured, it all pays off when we simply go to work in the morning and return to our homes at night to prepare for another normal, routine day. Peace is a funny thing, isn't it?"

"It may be funny, but now the only thing that really separates me from any other guy my age is that I go climb into a giant robot everyday after school...You've never met Touji or Kensuke, but even those two wierdos have more regular lives than I do."

"Yes, the Fourth Child and the son of Colonel Aida, the JASDF's Liaison to NERV at Matsushiro Air Base. Has the Fourth recovered properly?"

"He still walks with a limp, but he can run at his best speed again."

* * *

"Rei, what a pleasant surprise." Ritsuko said as she saw the girl walk into the control room with Misato.

Misato wouldn't let an opportunity to be immature go to waste. "Yep, she's here to give her squeeze toy some moral support! Hey, maybe we could find you a cheerleader's outfit, Rei!"

"Why not just give her the one you wear in bed with Kaji, Misato? I know that's one of _his_ kinks."

"What the hell are you implying?!" Misato's face was fire-red, either from embarrassment or the fact that she can't win an argument with Ritsuko.

"That you're less mature than the 15 year old girl beside you. Rei, don't listen to her."

"No need to reassure me, Doctor. I'm quite used to Colonel Katsuragi's inability to grow up, and I know that Shinji would rather see me in my plugsuit than some tasteless high-school costume."

Ritsuko laughed. Misato stood in shock. Let it be a lesson to all; never tease somebody with a greater intellect than you, if they open up the deep inner workings of their mind for all to see, the result can be terrifying.

"Dr. Akagi, is Lieutenant Ibuki absent?" Rei noticed the lack of the friendly technician.

Ritsuko's light expression turned somber. "Rei...When you merged with Lillith, her flesh ghosted through Maya's station. The act of an alien god literally moving through her body sent her into a mental breakdown...She's in psychiatric therapy, right now. She'll recover, but she was diagnosed with paranoia and psychosis after the incident. She's listed as an injured casualty of the JSDF attack, but..."

Rei looked stunned, and then an expression of guilt emerged from her face. "I...I did those things to her, I...what I did was worse than killing her...I destroyed her coherent mind...I-"

"She was collateral damage, Rei. Avoidable collateral, yes, but it was still an accident. She may be 'worse than dead' right now, but it won't last. She's getting treatment, just the same as all the personnel who saw hundreds of dead bodies explode into orange slime."

"That was my doing, as well." Rei turned to Misato. "I became worse than the Angels, I know I did. They only sought to return to their creator...I selfishly destroyed _everything_ in order to take Shinji for my own-"

"So? It's over now, the official reports have all the blame on the JSDF. What you did, what Gendo did, and- unfortunately -what SEELE did _never_ happened."

Rei let the implications of her guilt overcome her. "I deserve to be prosecuted for-"

"For what?" Misato smirked. "Officer, I'm turning myself in for turning into an alien god then absorbing everyone on earth and turning them into orange soda...On second thought, they probably would take you in for that, but you'd be going to the happy house rather than jail.

Rei, the point I'm making is that _none of us care._ Your job is to become the best person you can possibly be _in the present_. Worry less about the future and don't worry about the past at all...In fact, I'm hereby ordering you to let go of the past; I am your former commanding officer, after all."

"...Yes ma'am...Excuse me, where is Captain Illustrious? She _is_ the current Operations Director, isn't she?"

"She's at Matsushiro getting checked out in a VTOL. She's been in flight training for the last two months...You really should come here with Shinji more often."

"I don't want to get in the way..."

"You couldn't possibly."

Ritsuko took over the conversation. "Shinji, your sync has been slipping lately. You've got to keep your focus."

His voice entered the control room. "Sorry, Ritsuko, but I'm just getting bored...Let's face it, we're NERV. We fought- and beat -the Japanese Army and Air Force...there's nobody on Earth brave enough or stupid enough to take us on."

"In a frontal attack," She answered. "you'd be correct. But there are enemies in the world that don't do frontal assaults. They fight from the shadows, hiding behind ghosts and proxy soldiers; they're the people that you have to be constantly preparing and training to confront. The soldier carrying a heavy rifle and wearing dozens of pounds of armor can be seen from miles away. The criminal or agent wearing slacks and a coat and carrying a pistol will murder you in cold blood on the streets. In a time of peace such as this, you must shift your focus from military threats to criminal and insurgent ones."

"So you want us to shift from focusing on monster attacks to being police?"

"Essentially, yes. The UN's need for NERV has changed, and we will carry out our new purposes with enthusiasm. We're no longer Earth's defense against the Angels, we're the Earth's defense against _unknown_ extraterrestrials- or -factions that seek to destabilize sovereign governments. For instance, over in the US, Nevada to be specific, Page Industries; the people who made the special medication that Rei used to need, has given NERV a generous grant to Rebuild branch 2, on the condition that their Versalife company be allowed to use a section of the base for medical research. It's a great partnership: The US gets counter-terrorism support from NERV once again, and Versalife develops medications that will save lives...Oh! Looks like today's session is done, boys. Shinji, that little talk must have motivated you, because you jumped back up by 7 percent. You can come out...Kaworu, you have a physical today, so report to medical after you get a shower."

"Of course, Doctor." He complied. "I also need to congratulate Mari for reaching this milestone in her new career..."

"Mari's easy to shop for, Kaworu." Shinji joked over the radio. "Just get her a bottle of LCL and she'll love you forever."

Kaworu raised an eyebrow while still in the test plug. "Shinji, I know I should be mad at you for that, but that really is something Mari would like..."

* * *

Ryouji Kaji was watching from a van parked on a taxiway at Matsushiro as Captain Mari Illustrious, former Evangelion Pilot and Interim Operations Director for NERV-Japan, gently touched a NERV VTOL aircraft down on the tarmac. She'd spent the last two months intensely training in fixed-wing and tilt-engine airplanes and had just completed her final stage to qualifications: a five hour, cross-country checkride with her at the primary controls for the craft, the instructor acting as a glorified passenger, occasionally taking notes or raising an eyebrow at an action she'd take. Even with the powerful lifting engines, the day had been turbulent, with low pressure air and cumulus clouds everywhere, the perfect conditions for thunderstorms- which thankfully hadn't formed yet, or else Mari would have had a nightmare at the controls -and lousy conditions for flying.

She followed the shutdown checklist and the instructor and student exited the bird. Kaji walked up and asked for the informal opinion from the instructor.

"How'd she do?"

"Well, a messy passing grade is still a passing grade, but she needs polish. Get her up in the air as often as you can, she needs to develop feeling for the conditions and muscle memory for the controls. She uses too much strength and tends to jerk the stick around, but she met the standards. After the results are made official, she'll be a registered pilot for NERV's Air Transport."

Mari was all smiles and darted towards Kaji, tackling him in a hug. "So I don't have my own Eva, anymore, but I'm STILL a pilot!"

* * *

Kaworu was waiting in the examination room when a young gentleman wearing a labcoat entered the room.

"Afternoon, uh, Second Lieutenant Nagisa." The doctor read from his clipboard, a slight Austrian accent to his voice.

"Likewise, I believe we haven't met, Doctor."

"I'm new. NERV had to hire a replacement medical staff after the JSDF criminals murdered our previous hospital regulars."

"Yes. NERV's darkest hour." He sat on the bed and removed his shirt, revealing his post-Adam muscles. The doctor went through the usual checkup, he felt heartbeat and breathing, tapped Kaworu's knees and elbows, and inspected his eyes with that infuriating bright light.

"And now you have an injection, as much fun as they are. Hold your arm for me..." The doctor inserted the syringe into Kaworu's arm...

...Kaworu fell to the floor, choking and coughing bits of blood and LCL. "What...did you...give me? Some form...of toxin?"

"Sarin, actually. Liquid over the gaseous variant. Much more potent; my employers require your elimination swiftly and quietly."

Kaworu groaned on the floor. "I'm impressed...How did you...make it into NERV?"

"I do have a medical degree." The 'doctor' smirked down at him. "But my employers pay more than you do."

"If you do...have a 'medical degree'...Whatever happened to...'Do no harm'?" Kaworu coughed more blood.

"It doesn't pay my bills. I had to fly out to Japan to get this job, after all...You really should be dead by now, Nagisa."

"You forgot...unlike Rei...I _did not_ give up my inhuman heritage." Kaworu's eyes suddenly glowed red. "My human half is suffering greatly...the god in me is angry." Kawrou groaned as he forced himself to his feet. He leaned into the examination bed as the uninformed assassin drew a silenced pistol and fired several times into the now-visible orange hexagon in front of Kawrou's body. Kawrou forced the small AT Field into the assassin, knocking him back against the wall.

He fell to the floor, dazed. Kawrou dropped to his knees and coughed up more blood before crawling to the man and grabbing him around his throat. "Get me in contact with SEELE. My restraint and desire to see SEELE fall are the only things keeping you alive, so tell the truth."

The man groaned, the back of his head was throbbing. "...I don't know what 'SEELE' is..." He cringed, the pain from the wall he was thrown against was nearly unbearable.

"Then who sent you?!"

"Fine. The Dragon Lady sent me."

"Who is she?" Kaworu spat blood away from his mouth.

"Belltower. China. She organizes us all around the world. All I know is that she's Chinese and she hires her people under Belltower as bodyguards." * BANG * Kawrou shielded his eyes as the man encircled his lips around his handgun.

* * *

Mari and Kaji settled their VTOL onto the landing pad outside NERV's pyramid. Kaji commented on her first 'Legal' flight. "Mari, the return trip was much nicer than I expected. Maybe it's because the winds died down, but I don't feel any apprehension about riding in the passenger seat while you're flying."

"Well then, we'll have to celebrate, somehow-" She froze, mid sentence when she saw Misato running towards them, full tilt. "Hey, Boss, where's the fire!?"

"Under Kawrou! He's been poisoned by some kind of mercenary! Get plugged and get into Unit-06, NOW! Shinji and Rei are in danger!" Misato was yelling, panting, and burning with anger; all at the same time.

"Kawrou! We have to-"

"Ritsuko's overseeing his detoxification. You need to get ready to launch. We're sending out a motorcade from Section 2 to retrieve them, but you need to escort the cars!"

"Done!" She took off running towards the pyramid's ground entrance.

* * *

"I'm glad you were able to regain focus at the end of the test, Shinji." Rei sadly smiled to him as she moved across from him on the subway monorail back up to the surface, Shinji was confused.

"Rei, what's wrong?" He walked over to sit beside her, she smacked his hand away when he tried to hug her. "Rei...tell me."

"Those films we saw where the horror movie hero is actually the villain? I am the villain of our story." She lowered her eyes. "In addition to willingly attempting to destroy the world, I sent dozens of NERV staff into psychiatric care after they witnessed the breakdown of the casualties of that day...When the dead exploded into LCL, the living watched...dozens of people went mad from the sight-"

"Rei," Shinji stated, still trying to hold her. "The LCL thing is over. The people that watched might be messed up, but they're _still alive_. The people who exploded were shot by a bunch of criminals who did worse things than you ever will. _THEY SHOT UP OUR HOSPITAL._ I can't stress this enough, the JSDF guys that attacked us deserved to turn into LCL...I hope the ones that survived enjoy being waterboarded."

"Just because there are worse people than me, doesn't mean I'm good."

"Rei, what brought this on?"

Her eyes watered, the affectionate warmth that Shinji felt whenever she was near him froze over. "Dr. Akagi told me that I drove Lieutenant Ibuki...insane. When...I...rose from Terminal Dogma, the flesh of Lillith passed through Maya's body...the sheer absurdity of it all destroyed Maya's mind..._I'm responsible for her madness; _I'm responsible for the madness of all those that witnessed the breakdown of the dead into LCL_._"

He forced her hands away from his wrist, moving to hold her waist and shoulders. "Rei, I caused the Third Impact. I was probably gonna get shot for it, but the trial my dad put together against me was derailed when _you_ told me how to use the dummy plug computer and when _I _threatened Ritsuko at gunpoint. She blew up the dummy plug plant; it was the first piece of evidence that my father's plan was failing, and it couldn't have happened unless _I_ went on a berserk, world ending crusade to save you when that bitch Angel made you self-destruct Unit-00. I didn't mean to start an Impact, but _I_ was the villain on that day because I was willing to do _anything_ to save you...Just like my dad was willing to do _anything_ to save my mom. The difference between me and him is that he had every intention to end the world to do it. _You_ did those things because you thought you were doomed to destroy the world, and you thought saving me would be the only comfort you could find from it...None of us were the good guys, back then, Rei, but I'm not going to sacrifice myself at the altar of 'Perfect' when I can live in the world of 'Good'. We had to do the best we could with what we had and what we knew...Look at how things turned out. The people who attacked us lost, the people who got hurt are getting medical care, the people that you blame yourself for are getting psych treatment...Maya can get better, I know she can. There are a million different ways that all end much, much worse than what we have, and you know it." He looked up to her and wiped a tear from her cheek. "And stop crying, a face as beautiful as yours should be smiling."

Shinji's idea of Heaven was being snuggled up against Rei. More than anything else, he wanted to be with the girl that gave him the courage to fight in the world he used to fear without reason. That Heaven burned down and devolved into Hell when time appeared to slow down in his mind and he watched as the two walls of the monorail train erupt into balls of metal shards and fire. His trained reflexes pulled himself and Rei down onto their knees in the floor of the train, faces and chests pressed against each other. They didn't have time to scream when they felt hundreds of pieces of burning metal enter their backs, shoulders, arms and thighs.

The train derailed and skidded to a halt a short distance away from the tracks that had just been hit with a cluster of shoulder-launched rockets fired my men in trucks, who didn't know that they were currently being targeted by a formerly-happy, now very deranged 17 year old girl in a cyborg clone of an alien god; she just suffered the news of her dream guy's attempted murder and now witnessed the attack on her two friends' completely nonthreatening subway train! Unit-06 tore from its launch rails and tracked the rockets' smoke trails back to their sources, seeing two men per truck, wearing silver-gray body armor with the image of a bull on their helmets. Unit-06 drew two rifles from a munition tower and unleashed NERV's own brand of Hell, the 120 milimeter rounds firing at 20 rounds per second, pounding three of the trucks into craters so eviscerated that it became impossible to determine dirt from human or truck remains.

She grabbed the fourth truck, mercenaries still inside, and sprinted her Eva Unit back to her launch elevator, gleefully imagining all the wonderful ways she'd violate the Geneva Conventions when she got back to home base.

The last thing Shinji remembered before he blacked out was the feeling of being pulled away from what he loved most by men in black overcoats...

* * *

A/N: Dark...Tense...


	3. Modern Medicine

Answers:  
Kaze: That gets answered right here.  
ShirayukiFan: You're always free to read, but if you aren't familiar with the source material it can get confusing really fast...

* * *

Chapter 3: Modern Medicine

* * *

Her captives spoke English, Misato's multiple fluent languages were handy at times like this. "Kill us. We will tell you nothing. We'll save you time: We are countertorture personnel-" * SLAP * Misato answered the captured mercenary with friendship and tact.

"It's perfectly fine if you tell us nothing; we know plenty. Your armor: 'Belltower'. We did our research; corporate hitmen paid to protect technology secrets. You guys have been working for research companies since 1947. You've got strong ties to SEELE's corporate interests in the US and Europe...You failed to kill SEELE's targets, and I'm about to have a _hell_ of a time with you two. We learned this one from the Vietnamese: Your accommodations are a 2X2 meter barbed wire cage. You're lucky we don't slather it in shit like the Vietnamese do. We'll talk more tomorrow. Kaji?" She looked over to her smirking fiancée.

The rugged agent walked up and tazed the two bound assassins, stripped them, and stuffed them into the tiger cage.

* * *

"GET THEM INTO INTENSIVE CARE! BRING THE BLOOD DEPOSITS FOR IKARI AND AYANAMI, STAT!" Ritsuko shouted into her handheld radio as she ran to meet the Section 2 escorts when they drove up to the pyramid's entrance. Two of their SUVs were crudely repurposed into ambulances, with tarps laid out over the back seats, the hundreds of subdermal shrapnel wounds each in Shinji and Rei spilling potentially fatal levels of blood across the backs of the cars.

Two nursing crews rushed gurneys out to the cars, where the two teenagers were laid face-first onto the beds. The nurses wheeled them into the pyramid and were met by more crews with intravenous carts carrying blood bags matching Shinji and Rei's blood types. They were injected with the IV connectors and began receiving the transfused blood as they continued to suffer from shrapnel injuries. Ritsuko reached their bedsides and injected them both with morphine, and the nurses continued their long, still painful, ride toward the intensive care wing.

"Ritsuko! What's the story on both of them?!" Misato's alarmed voice broke through her radio.

"Colonel Katsuragi...There's-there's blood and metal everywhere...they're alive, barely; we're rolling them towards treatment as we speak. We've got them under painkillers and they're receiving blood, but...I don't know how to handle this...they'll be in surgery for days getting all the shrapnel removed, _if_ we can keep surgeons working on them 24/7, and there's no way to ensure that 100% of the shards get removed...I- I don't know what to do...We're going to have to wait...I'll keep their pain suppressed and we'll curb the bleeding, but the trash has to come out of their bodies..."

"RITSUKO, I NEED MORE THAN THAT-"

"Colonel Katsuragi, that is enough." Professor Fuyutsuki's voice entered the conversation. "They were riding a civil train system on the surface of the upper city when they were attacked. There's nothing NERV could've done to pre-emptively eliminate this new threat as it was an unprovoked attack from a third party, using what amounts to hitmen who've been hired not to ask questions. We will provide them with NERV's full medical care and we'll retaliate against those who attacked us, but berating Dr. Akagi when she's at the limit of her expertise will do nothing to heal Shinji or Rei, and it won't help Ritsuko's position any."

Misato forced herself to remain calm. "You're right, Commander. However, I can't stand sitting on my ass and waiting while two innocent kids are suffering for our idiocy!"

"The only way this attack could've been prevented is to install armored and weaponized subway trains on the monorail system, and you _will not_ be doing that, Colonel." He noticed the spark of inspiration in Misato's voice.

"Why not?"

"Just. No."

* * *

Berlin, Germany. Early Summer 2015.

_THERE'S NO ONE LIKE YOU; I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NIGHTS WITH YOU; I IMAGINE THE THINGS WE'D DO-_

"Hello...Daddy?" Asuka answered her cell phone from the poolside she was sunning herself on. "No, just getting a tan...Yes, I'm glad to be home...I didn't mean to be so bad to stepmom back then, I just didn't want anybody replacing mom. I understand now, and I love both of them...Family trip? Okay...No, Japan is too far...It's not that I don't miss my friends or that I don't want you to meet them, we'd just be traveling across the planet to meet a girl's classmates. Seems kind of over the top, doesn't it?...I occasionally try to call the First and Third, but the time difference is 11 hours, so-GOD, AAAAAHH!"

She dropped her cell phone when the flechette speared through her left shoulder and exited her right obliques, cutting a clean path through her body and puncturing the concrete under her pool chair. The sniper on the apartment building a kilometer away was kind of disappointed he had to shoot this particular mark, she looked downright hot in her red and white-striped bikini, and he enjoyed watching her stretch and contort herself through the scope.

He did make a mistake with his ammunition. Fin-stabilized sabot rounds are pinpoint accurate and work wonders against car engines and generators, but they tend to cut a clean hole through human targets, so Asuka's gunshot wound was extensive, but if it was repaired quickly, she wouldn't bleed to death. She writhed in pain as a team of Section 2 bodyguards from NERV branch 3 swarmed and evacuated her and began scanning for the active shooter, finding nothing in the nearby vicinity. They transported her to Humboldt University's Charite Hospital in their armored SUV, parked near the Soryu family's apartment complex; radioing the hospital dispatch and ordering the emergency room staff to give priority care to the girl when they arrived.

* * *

"Okay, Ritsuko." Misato, Kaji, and the Professor were looking through the window into Shinji and Rei's room as Ritsuko and a nursing staff changed the bleeding teens' blood bags; Mari was somewhere helping Kaworu balance over a drain trough as he repeatedly vomited. "This isn't a solution. We can't just leave these two in here hooked up to blood drips."

"I know that, Misato. We have to worry about the shrapnel...I need every surgery-qualified doctor on this base working non-stop if were going to get the metal out...metal..." A light ignited inside of Ritsuko's head. "The Artificial Evolution Laboratory has research partnerships with biomedical firms around the world...Human doctors need to work in shifts, but an automated system...Professor, with your permission, I'd like to bring in some outside help."

"Dr. Akagi, you are free to treat their injuries however you see fit."

"Then I'll need clearance to release classified documents to Sarif Industries in Detroit, Michigan...The AEL's working relationship with Sarif is still very good, they purchase developments from us on a near-monthly basis. Their recent developments with nanite medical bots would benefit us tremendously."

* * *

The two Belltower operatives that survived Unit-06's assault managed to get into a position in the tiger cage where the barbed wire wasn't cutting and tearing their skin. That small comfort didn't help them when Misato walked in, Kaji following her wearing leather gloves and carrying a small metal crate.

"Tell me, do you boys know what autoignition is?" She asked, with a devilish grin on her face.

One of the failed assassins answered her from his position, contorted around the barbs. "A reactive material is capable of lighting itself aflame when it's exposed to open air."

"Very good, you paid attention in science class, now didn't you? Kaji is about to demonstrate an example of autoignition. Boys, let me introduce you to Mr. Willie Pete."

Kaji opened the box and dumped the pulverized White Phosphorus across the two torture victims. The isolated room they were kept in ensured that nobody save the two people performing the inhumane execution could hear their screams.

* * *

Three days after the rocket attack.

"BE-E 001, 008 here, formation is descending towards Toyko-3 Center City, but where's this Pyramid thing we're looking for?"

"8, Look for a Red Cross on some of the intersections and broadcast a handshake message on 141.15. Reports say the ground opens up and we fly into the hole."

"...Right. You said it, not me...Holy Shit, it's happening!"

The eight Boeing BEE civilian VTOLs hovered down into the GeoFront, the pilots and passengers staring in awe at the glistening steel and glass pyramid. David Sarif's tower in Detroit was impressive, but was rather generic as skyscrapers go. This however, was incredible. Unlike the stone pyramids at Giza, this facility shone with a mirror finish, a frustrating source of light glare for pilots and aircrews.

They landed on the helipads just outside the entrance to find an old gentleman; a young, rugged man with a ponytail, and two relatively young women waiting to meet them. The blonde, labcoated woman approached first, walking to the VTOL identified as '008', just at two gentlemen emerged from it. The first, a confident businessman, distinctive in his waistcoat embroidered with complex geometric figures, and the other, a gray-haired British fellow wearing an elaborate trenchcoat. Both men were equipped with mechanical prosthetics, the British man walking in an exoskeleton around his legs and using a decorated cane, while the businessman's right hand was replaced with a carbon-black robotic arm.

"Dr. Darrow, Mr. Sarif." Ritsuko greeted them. "You both have NERV's undying gratitude for traveling all the way-"

"Don't waste those kids' lives introducing us, Dr. Akagi." David answered her. "Your message told us that these kids are suffering from hundreds of shrapnel wounds. If that's right, then they'll be bleeding their hearts out as we speak." He and the Doctors began the walk into NERV's pyramid.

"The good news" She answered them. "is that we've slowed the bleeding but kept the wounds open so skin and flesh wouldn't grow over the embedded metal. The bad news is that it'll take a human crew hundreds of man-hours to safely remove the shrapnel."

David pressed a button on his arm, opening a radio communicator on his wrist and ordered the flight crews to unload their equipment and escort Darrow's medical staff inside with them. He turned to Ritsuko, "That's where we come in. The autodocs and the injections should remove the shrapnel. We can't actually tell you _how_ until the surgery starts. That's where Hugh comes in." His voice let his Japanese hosts know that he was definitely a Midwestern American.

"Yes." Dr. Darrow answered, his posh English accent noticeable to those around him. "Our solution is mine and Sarif's latest development; technically, it hasn't left the Beta stage yet, but the two prototype controllers are ready for insertion. To be honest, our decision to assist you all the way out here was entirely self-serving: You have two injured but otherwise healthy adolescents and we need one male and one female test subject. If our work ends up saving their lives, then this result will be entirely positive; and we do still owe NERV and the Artificial Evolution Laboratory gratitude. Your work with synthetic flesh and organ growth enabled Sarif to build our First-Generation prosthetic augmentations."

"You _never_ heard me say this," Ritsuko answered. "But you two are actually about to meet the ultimate result of the AEL's synthetic organ experiments, and she's a wonderful girl. That said, her origins are still Top-Secret, so after you read the reports, deny everything to anybody who approaches you. As for the poor girl herself, she doesn't really like being reminded that she's synthetic, so please be gentle about the subject to her."

* * *

"So, fellows..." Misato looked confusedly at the objects the gentlemen brought with them. "What exactly am I looking at?" They were outside Shinji and Rei's emergency room as nurses removed the two sedated teens' bandages and cleaned their wounds for Darrow's medical crews to prep the injection bots.

David answered her, showing her the eight blue-glowing cylinders and sixteen small egg-shaped ones. "Our massive contract with the Artificial Evolution Laboratory gives us pretty a pretty good look at NERV's current events. I don't really get the whole 'giant robot weapon' angle you NERV guys do, but I do know that two of your kids got hurt. Based on the medical report, they took extensive shrapnel wounds, right? Frankly, they'd be in surgery for weeks getting those thousands of bits of metal out of them. Right now, Sarif's already working towards the successor to our mechanical prosthetics: Microscopic robots that perform medical care and augmentation. They'll- theoretically -be able to clear the shrapnel and repair any nerve damage in the two of them. It just so happens that we need a male and female test subject to beta test the nanites...I think you can see what I'm getting at. No cost to you guys. The kids get all the medical they need, and all Sarif needs is to monitor their recovery and performance in the field. Right now, your two kids are the best candidates for human trials."

"David is right," Darrow approached them. "We're about to inject young Ayanami and Ikari- or as Dr. Akagi suggested we refer to them, Unit 00 and 01; I'm not certain if it was some sort of joke -with Five Billion US Dollars worth of research. The nanites are, as the name implies, nanoscopic robots that act within the users' bodies, enhancing bodily functions. In our case, we intend to use the nanites to return the shrapnel in the direction it entered their flesh, saving the time and incisions human doctors would spend extracting the metals. It should significantly reduce blood loss during the extractions. The nanites will then be reprogrammed with functions advantageous to forensics and investigation."

"Why in the world would you be doing that thing at the end?"

"You do plan to get to the bottom of the motivations for the attack, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, but I don't want to throw Shinji and Rei after a bunch of assassins!"

"The enhancements they will receive will protect them, tremendously."

"Okay, sure. This stuff," She motioned to all the glowing blue liquid, "really cost the equivalent of 500 Billion Yen?"

Hugh continued. "The process to create the nanites is still _very_ premature. The microprocessors that will be implanted in the subjects' brain stem are the only two of their kind on the planet. The components we need to mass-produce them are easily 20 years away; at this point, we can only generate individual Units. To make nanite biochips and nanite augmentations in the present, we need exorbitant amounts of time and resources. In the future, we plan to assemble them, molecule by molecule, with a system we've named the 'Universal Constructor', but the technology to develop it just isn't here yet. So, instead of developing the nano-augmentations quickly and cheaply, we have to generate them slowly and expensively using 10-nanometer microchip lithography that's been repurposed to bake the nanites. The containers you were looking at are currently Sarif's entire test nanite population, capable of enhancing a user's Head, Arms, Torso, and Legs three times, but we won't have any leftover injection medium after this procedure. In exchange for Shinji and Rei's health, we need them to investigate your benefactors."

"You want a couple of kids to go after the UN?!" Misato was currently rethinking Ritsuko's solution.

"Not the UN, but their Illuminati financiers."

Misato stared, wide eyed, at Darrow. "Did you really just say 'Illuminati' with _no_ irony whatsoever?"

David stepped in. "They use whatever name is most convenient for them at the moment. 'Illuminati', 'Enlightened Ones', 'SEELE'- German for 'Soul', clever really. They're all the same: wealthy bankers, politicians, scientists or cultists that want to shape the world into whatever ideals suit them right now. But when they stoop so low as to send their professional criminals to kill two teenage kids..._somebody_ notices and decides to send two suddenly very dangerous teenage kids to return the favor. It may sound absurd, but what's more messed up than blowing up train car full of kids with a bunch of RPGs?"

"I don't want to send Shinji or Rei off to their deaths ever again."

"I can guarantee you, Colonel Katsuragi, when the injections are complete, Unit-00 and Unit-01 will be the two most qualified individuals on the planet to investigate your 'SEELE'."

* * *

NERV's primary staff were arranged outside the operation area as Darrow directed his staff and their surgical robots, with Fuytsuki, Ritsuko, Misato and Kaji, and Kaworu- weakly leaning against Mari -all watching. Darrow directed his technicians to map out the two victims' bodies, determining injection sites at their neck, both upper arms, their abdomen and their thighs. After developing the program, Darrow personally sat down beside Shinij and Rei's beds and determined the best location to implant the nanite controller.

When he confirmed the design, and David gave his final permission to give away his company's greatest development, Darrow ushered his staff out and activated the surgical robots they had flown in. They quickly and flawlessly cut a fine opening in the back Shinji and Rei's neck and inserted the minuscule computers in the junction of their brain and spinal cord. The robots closed and cauterized the wound, weaving the two subjects' hair over the cut. An untrained eye would never notice them.

The bots then loaded the cylinders into their needles and injected the glowing nanite serum into the injection sites. The blue liquid caused the veins targeted by the autodocs to glow brightly before the serum became diluted by their blood flow, the pair had been receiving regular transfusions since Ritsuko chose not to close their wounds before this treatment took place. After the cylinders were exhausted; four per teen, one cylinder per quadrant of their bodies, technicians loaded the egg-like containers and the autodocs continued injections for two more cycles. Darrow explained to the spectators that the Cylinders contained the base components for the nanites while the Eggs contained enhanced materials for the nanites to utilize. With the base components and two levels of upgrades, the medical nanites should be able to remove the shrapnel with a minimum level of tissue damage.

The autodocs expended the nanite serum completely. Darrow's techs drove them out of the room and Darrow remotely activated the biochips from his terminal in the operating theater. Shinji and Rei convulsed as the chips sent out a defibrillator-like current of electricity, activating and uploading the programs the nanites would follow, and the nanoscopic robots in the teens' bloodstreams swam to the points that they determined the shrapnel to be embedded in. Shinji and Rei both began to shiver intensely as the bots began separating flesh from metal, dirt from sterile tissue, human from train. Hundreds of small foreign objects began to rise out of Shinji and Rei's skin, and nurses surrounded them to bandage away spilled blood and collect the bits of contaminated metal. Misato, Kaji and Mari watched in awe as Shinji and Rei's skin automatically closed and cauterized itself. What should have taken the estimated hundreds of man-hours was completed by the billions of nanoscopic robots in under an hour.

"There will still be some scarring and stretch marks, but the nanites have ensured that the wounds remain sterile and closed. We'll keep them asleep for another day with the nanites dormant to ensure that their bodies acclimate to their presence. But, once the orderlies are finished...their treatment should be complete."

* * *

A/N: For those of you who haven't played DX 1, there are two types of aug systems: Cylinders, which activate a certain skill, and eggs, which upgrade them. I tried to explain that above, but it still might be slightly confusing.


	4. Basic Training

Chapter 4: Basic Training

* * *

She had spent the last few days in a state of semi-consciousness. She had become able to judge her time on the escalating pain she was experiencing, it became more and more severe until, like clockwork, a nurse would inject her with another measure of morphine- Oh, how she welcomed the drug when they injected her. She has never had any desire to inject the opiate recreationally, but whenever some test she underwent at NERV failed and she found herself in a state of trauma yet again, the nursing staff ensured that the pain she suffered was suppressed.

This occasion was different. She was given a global anesthetic and fell unconscious as she saw what she thought was a crippled man inspecting her injuries then driving some form of radio-controlled car up to her bedside...and she had no recollection of any event after that as she woke up, lying prone in a hospital bed, a slight stinging pain across her back. The earlier pain had been the stabbing feel of hundreds of knives thrust in her, now her back only felt...awkward. The overall sensation was significantly less intense than the trauma she remembered; telling Shinji her new perspective on her actions as of the Fourth Impact, and then...Fire. Fire everywhere.

"This is yet another grievous injury that I should not have survived." She spoke to herself in quiet Japanese, the English answer that greeted her surprised her. While Shinji had spent the last few months intensely studying the language, Rei became fluent almost instantly, her affinity for literature and the act of studying being the only real hobby the girl indulged in before the dead Commander's purpose went unfulfilled.

"You are very correct, Miss Ayanami. Your superiors were willing to go to great lengths to ensure your recovery." The crippled man was sitting in between the hospital beds. His voice prompted her to turn her head towards him, where she saw one Shinji Ikari in the other bed, still asleep.

"Shinji? Is he-"

"His body is not as accustomed to experimental treatment as yours is, for obvious reasons."

"Please forgive me, Dr. Darrow, but I'm not sure what 'obvious reasons' you're referencing."

"You recognize me? I'm quite surprised a teenage Japanese girl would be familiar with a greying English codger."

"I _was _hoping to enter pediatric clinical research once I completed my Bachelor's degree. Since it is advantageous to keep up with one's trade, I follow current events in experimental medicine. Anybody involved in rehabilitation or combat medicine knows the name and profile of the father of modern prosthetics. I suppose your presence means that I will be disabled for quite some time..."

"Actually, dear girl, it means exactly the opposite. Dr. Akagi labeled you 'Unit-00', host of the first generation of nanoscopic performance-enhancing augmentations. Shinji Ikari is Unit-01. You've both been treated for your shrapnel injuries by injecting each of you with billions of synthetic bacteriophages. Once programmed, these nanites swarm to a location containing an injury or foreign object- in your case, pieces of subway train -and collectively reverse the trauma. You still need time to recover, but your treatment was over nearly as soon as it started."

"But Shinji is still infirm?"

"You have the distinctive status of being our control Unit. Your genetic history gives you a predisposition for modification. Shinji is a natural human. He needs an extended period of acclimation to the injections. You, on the other hand, have multiple genetic alterations beneficial to biomodification."

"How do you know of my genetic history?" She glared at the British Gentleman.

"From Dr. Akagi, obviously. Sarif Industries has benefited from NERV's biologic research tremendously, though we only go so far as to integrate human users with their artificial prosthetics. Now, you may well be the very first successful synthetic human, but Dr. Akagi and I both agree, there's nothing 'artificial' about you..." He looked on in consideration for a moment. "Well, _now_ there is, but it won't make you any less of the Rei Ayanami you already are. The bacteriophages are microsocpic robots, forged from titanium and magnesium on a 10 nanometer process, which stimulate and agitate individual tissues. The shrapnel particles you received were lifted away from the puncture wounds and sterilized; the nanites are now dormant, waiting to receive a new configuration from the microcontroller we've implanted above your first cervical vertebrae. Without alarming you too much, your brain now has an Internet connection." He quipped, finishing his explanation.

"...I feel no different. I assume it is still deactivated?"

"Yes it is. It won't be rebooted until you and Shinji are ready for orientation. Now, get some more rest, we have a long road ahead of us."

* * *

Two days later...

"I've gotta ask, is the arm a Gulf War wound or something like it?" Kaji asked Mr. Sarif as they drank a morning coffee in one of NERV's open verandas, the pyramid's glass ceilings giving a panoramic view of the GeoFront. The men would occasionally watch a VTOL launch or notice a Section 2 patrol moving through.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Sarif smirked to the UN Investigator.

"I've made my entire career digging up stories nobody believes. Try me."

"After our stock exploded and I became a billionaire overnight, I bought the Detroit Tigers, and I make a point to be down on the grass with the team as they're practicing. I can't stand the pasty old men that run a sports franchise from an office...I got my arm replaced so I could strike out Victor Martinez."

Kaji raised an eyebrow as he and Sarif waited several minutes in silence before the shrewd men erupted in laughter.

"So what about you? Start out as a beat cop before going federal?"

"UN Combined Force, actually. After college I passed the Officer Candidate exam and, later, qualified for an F-2. Kickass ride, by the way. I still have my flight clearance, but I decided to join the UN Inspection division to track down some old friends."

"Colonel Katsuragi?"

"Yeah. She survived the Antarctic Expedition...Ritsuko and I made it a point to make her life better after all that hell happened, but..."

"She seems like the type to take the hard way through life on purpose. I've never understood that in people...atoning for things they didn't do-" His arm spoke up, Darrow sent his employer a message.

"David. Both Units are awake. Unit-00 is fully alert and ready for a briefing. Unit-01 is in ongoing recovery. They're alone at the moment, but they're under surveillance."

"Fine, Hugh." He spoke into his wrist. "I'll be down there to introduce myself...Shall we, Inspector?"

* * *

He opened his eyes, staring down into the pillow he'd spent the last week sleeping on. = I'll go ahead and say it...I'm sick of this shit! =

His train of thought ended when he felt something feathering his hair; a human hand, he noticed. = I recognize that touch! Rei's here with me! = He shot his head up from the bed, only to get motion sick and collapse back down. He groaned slightly.

"Shinji," His favorite voice in the world answered him; "do not exert yourself. We have both been given an experimental treatment as a result of the failed attempt on our lives-"

"Who in the world would hate us so much to blow us up like that?" His tired, frustrated voice answered her. "We protected the world from ending, why would anybody have a problem with that?!"

"Because Commander Ikari isn't the only one who wanted to use Lillith to begin Instrumentality. Commander Ikari's masters wanted _their_ version of Instrumentality to complete...They were denied their satisfaction, and I suppose they wanted vengeance."

"...If somebody else wanted Lillith, how would they get to her?"

"The Fifth Child. He was created by SEELE to act as their conduit to the Final Impact. Like me, he rejected his master...he was more successful than I was..."

"Kaworu. I should've known that already...How oblivious am I?"

"Not oblivious, Shinji. You simply don't pay mind to events that don't involve yourself. You don't intrude into others' privacy in that respect."

"How is it that you're able to take every bad thing I do and describe it like it's a compliment?"

"The same way that you're able to act like I didn't attempt to destroy this world."

"Rei, get over it-" Shinji was cut off as a cluster of individuals entered the room to see Rei standing over him in her hospital gown and Shinji still lying in bed.

"Rei, have you been able to keep your balance?"

"Yes, Doctor Akagi."

"Shinji, can you stand? Rei, don't help him. Shinji needs to get his coordination on his own. We'll be testing you for nerve damage later."

Shinji slid out of the bed, placed his feet on the cold floor, and swayed uneasily while he stood. He looked from Misato, Kaji and Ritsuko to the two grey-haired men standing with them. The clean-shaven one wore a rather elaborate waistcoat and the bearded one wore a trenchcoat and walked with a cane.

"How do you feel, right now, Mr. Ikari?" Shinji noted the man's British accent. He thought about the other British person he knew; Mari really didn't sound like she was from England when he talked to her.

"I feel kind of dizzy..."

"Let's remedy that, then." He motioned to a pair of nurses behind them who wheeled in a cart carrying a stack of snack bars and powdered drink mix. "Shinji, allow me to introduce myself and Mr. Sarif. We've been overseeing your treatment. In case you haven't already figured it out, your shrapnel fragments have been removed and your lacerations closed."

"...Did we get operated on?"

"Not entirely. You've been treated with miniature robots that removed the shrapnel from within you. You were under a global anesthetic at the time and won't remember a thing, but there are now over three billion machines circulating through your bloodstream, waiting to be activated by the microprocessor in your brain stem."

Shinji rubbed his chin and contemplated for a moment before coming to his conclusion. "...Is this some sort of joke?"

"It is not, Shinji." Rei answered him. "We were given an experimental treatment four days ago. I have been awake and receiving briefings on the procedure for the last two. You needed a longer time away from consciousness to allow the nanites to integrate into your body." Shinji stared at her with his jaw hanging open. "I was more receptive to this kind of enhancement because of my genetic disposition to synthetic modification."

"Shinji, you can have all the time you need to let it sink in. You won't feel any different until the biochip is reactivated. Before that happens, the two of you need to go on a diet supplement. These Cyberboost brand food bars", he motioned to the meal cart, "and electrolyte drink mix were created by Versalife for patients with cybernetic prosthetics. The bars contain titanium and magnesium supplements to provide raw materials for the electronics to self-repair, and the drink contains a high salt content to increase the conductivity of your plasma; the nanites communicate by wirelessly sending and receiving Internet Protocol packets through a conductor: the sodium content in your blood, in this case. Both the meal bars and the drink contain a high sugar content to increase the energy your body creates- the nanites harvest the natural bioelectric current your body generates, and a small measure of Neuropazyne, which works to prevent rejection of artificial implants in the body. Dr. Akagi tells me that Rei needed it when she was young to help maintain her body composition."

"Yes Sir, I did. There was a period of time when the majority of my diet consisted of multivitamins and Neuropazyne tablets."

"I can guarantee that this solution will be much more pleasant. Neurop has a very high dependency rate, after all. The meal replacements only require a trace measure of the drug. One meal a day should be replaced by two bars and a large glass of the drink mix. The taste isn't grand, but you won't heave from it, either. Breakfast works if you're going to be given a nighttime assignment, the nanites will have time to process the materials as you activate your augmentations."

"Augmentations?" Shinji asked, still in disbelief.

He directed Shinji and Rei to eat as he explained Sarif's gifts to them in detail. "They haven't been configured yet. When we get to Detroit for your basic training, you will receive several synthetic enhancements to your body:

Your Eyes will be improved with a visor-style computer interface, night vision, and threat identification- all necessary considering what you've just survived. Your Inner Ear will receive a radio transceiver.  
Your Upper Body and Arm strength will be enhanced by nanites stimulating your Biceps, Triceps, Pectoral and Deltoid muscles, with your knuckles and wrist bones being reinforced with the metals you'll be taking in. Colonel Katsuragi tells me that you've practiced Aikido and Eskrima for several years, very good. A martial art such as those give excellent dexterity and self-control.  
Your Torso and Abdomen have been enhanced with nanites situated in your Dermis, they toughen your skin and make you more capable of handling blunt trauma, emit static radiation to interfere with electronic surveillance, and finally- one of our more complicated enhancements -nanites near your pores extract Oxygen from water and inject it into your bloodstream, giving you amphibious survivability underwater; similar to a frog that absorbs Oxygen to breathe through its skin.  
Your Legs have similar enhancements to your Arm muscles. You two are already athletic, but we've enabled you to run faster, jump higher, and walk more quietly-"

Shinji nearly spit out his drink. "How the hell can you do all that?!"

"The nanites and microcontroller exist in a symbiotic relationship with your body. You consume the raw materials they require to maintain themselves and you receive the enhancements the biochip is programmed to enable. So far, you two have the only two _functional nanite _biochip prototypes in the world. Our cheap and poor-quality competitors at Tai-Yong Medical still haven't gotten one off the drawing boards...That's where your 'rental fee' comes in. We need you to investigate the people who attacked you. We know they work for the Belltower private security firm, and we believe that Tai-Yong may very well be the ones who sent the attackers after you, but we need proof. We figure two augmented, combat experienced young people such as yourselves can handle the stress."

"You want us to break in and steal secrets? We have no idea how to do that-" Shinji was still exasperated. Rei stood by his side and listened in passive interest.

"You will receive instruction. _Proper_ instruction, this time. Dr. Akagi told me how your father Shanghaied you into operating under NERV's authority in the past. He must have been truly desperate and out of ideas, back then...We won't be so overbearing, but we do need proof of Tai-Yong's involvement. As such, as soon as you receive your medical discharge, Inspector Kaji will be flying the two of you back to the United States with us. It won't be a fun-filled vacation, but we're not throwing you two into a war, either."

* * *

"Oh, come on Misato, why can't we go with them?" Mari asked as she watched Kaji discussing his flight plan with Sarif and the BE-E flight lead. They needed fuel stops in Okinawa, Hawaii, and Los Angeles, but they should be in Detroit less than 24 hours after they take off.

"You can't be serious, Mari. We need the OD and Unit-06 Pilot in Japan, and that means you and Kaworu are staying here. Shinji and Rei aren't going on a vacation. You saw what had to happen to them."

"Yeah, they got turned into posthuman badasses! Why _wouldn't_ I want in on that?"

"Really, Mari, sometimes I wonder if there's a single sane thought in your head."

* * *

SEELE-01 SOUND ONLY: "How is it that all four Evangelion Pilots survived?"

SEELE-05 SOUND ONLY: "The First and Third were riding in the same train car, our operatives hit it in perfect coordination. The sources in the press report emergency crews pulling burning corpses from that rail line. The Second was shot, the round over-penetrated her body; the bloodstain is still on the concrete walkway by the target. By all accounts, she could be slipping from life as we speak. The Fifth was given _more_ than the lethal dose of concentrated Sarin...The Second and Fifth can only be explained by the extremely rapid response by NERV's Section 2 emergency management. Most of the experienced agents were killed in the JSDF invasion-"

SEELE-03 SOUND ONLY: "The invasion where the Chairman's so-called Perfect Evangelions failed to breach NERV's interior."

SEELE-01 SOUND ONLY: "Enough from you. The Fifth Child was the key to the Invasion, and it betrayed us...it also survived its execution."

SEELE-05 SOUND ONLY: "To kill a human with the AT Field of a god...We have the technology to grow a synthetic Core Organ...we only need to miniaturize it, then implant it into an individual who would not betray us as the Fifth Child did."

SEELE-01 SOUND ONLY: "As for the First and Third, your attackers were quickly overpowered by the Fifth Child's Unit, even as the Fifth Child was receiving a needle in its arm."

SEELE-04 SOUND ONLY: "Perhaps NERV's attempts to build its dummy plugs were not as embarrassing of a failure as Ikari acted?"

SEELE-01 SOUND ONLY: "No, we have proven that the Japanese dummy plugs have failed. Our Adam-based plugs were programmed immediately as opposed to Ikari's inefficient cumulative programming."

SEELE-02 SOUND ONLY: "Then Unit-06 would have had a reserve pilot...We do not know of any adolescents who have volunteered to have a link generated to it, nor have we created any Cores for new pilots."

SEELE-04 SOUND ONLY: "I believe you just identified the pilot. The English female that Ryouji Kaji efficiently killed the JSDF infiltrators alongside...There is no way that she could have acted with that level of skill without official authorization. Security tapes from the center reveal the female assailant utilizing an impact-resistant bodysuit-" * STATIC *

= So how were you able to come to that conclusion so rapidly, Mr. 4? = Kaworu thought as he closed the LISTEN ONLY feed from the Commander's Holodeck. = You shouldn't act with such forwardness, an Englishman such as yourself might give an unfriendly party the compromising identification they need to open the hunt... =

* * *

20 Hours Later...

"Detroit's kind of..." Shinji said to Rei and Kaji as they flew along one the helicopter routes through the city.

"If the entirety of Tokyo-3 were reduced to ash by the Sixth Angel, this is how it would appear." Rei, who had a skill for telling things exactly as they were, answered him.

"Welcome to Urban America, kids. This is what a city looks like under a 60 year unopposed Democratic political machine. The vast majority of America wasn't touched by the Second Impact, this is what corrupt politics does to a city." Kaji answered them from his place at the controls. "Sarif's been doing his damnedest to Rebuild the place, hell, half the city's full-time workforce is hired by him, now. Still, it has a long way to go to heal half a century of urban decay."

"How'd you find that out?"

"We're men. We talked about things like baseball, flying, total economic collapse..."

They flew over the neighborhoods still swept up in America's recession and crossed into Detroit's downtown. Sarif's upturned wing logo appeared on buildings dotted across the cityscape and the pair and their pilot flew into view of Sarif's corporate headquarters. Unlike NERV HQ, it was a standard rectangular skyscraper, but it was huge.

"I suppose that we haven't really considered that we're temporary employees of the most valuable company in North America." Rei observed as Kaji was directed to bring the NERV VTOL down on Sarif's executive landing pad on the roof of the 128 story building.

Darrow, Sarif, and several members of Sarif's security division- brandishing their FR-27s menacingly -approached them and led the trio into David's office. The video wall behind Sarif's desk was tuned to a running stock ticker for his company- sitting comfortably at $606 per share, alternating displays from his security camera network, and a Tigers game showing live on the third screen.

"Before we do anything," David began as he sat down at his desk, "let's get you three settled. Sarif owns the Chiron building a short ways from here. We use it as our employees' dormitory for those of them who don't already have their own place. You'll technically be getting a one-bedroom, but it has two slide out-sofas and an enormous television in the living area, so actual space isn't a problem. Tomorrow, you'll be greeted on the ground floor and taken to the security training grounds. We have a set of tailored challenges for augmented and 'basic' trainees. You two-" He motioned to the teens. "will be getting your nanites activated at 0700 in Darrow's lab then taken to the course. You'll get your aug orientation on the course as you complete the obstacles you're presented. Now, it's obscenely late, your pilot and bodyguard for this trip has the address and apartment number, so I trust him _and_ the security detail that'll be getting you guys home safe. Your bird will be hand-tuned by our aircraft mechanics while you're here."

"Thanks very much, David." Kaji answered.

"Oh, that reminds me. It's 'Boss' now; we have to keep _some_ semblance of order around here, and Ikari, Ayanami, and Kaji are officially listed in our HR department as private investigators under the security department." He pressed a button on his desk. "How long until the passcards get here?"

"Any minute now, Mr. Sarif." His long-time secreatry, Athene, answered him. They were eventually delivered by a guard after the quartet waited in a somewhat-awkward silence.

"Right. Tomorrow is your orientation, and after the nanites get activated neither of you will need Inspectior Kaji's protection, anymore."

"Hey now!"

David smirked at the poorly-shaven bodyguard as several security guards arrived to take them to their apartment.

* * *

"Nice place. It's late, so don't do any goofing off, lets all just get some sleep." Kaji said as the automated room opened the blinds and set the thermostat for a more comfortable temperature. He went to the small bedroom and opened the computer terminal, contacting Misato over the Internet, while Shinji found the giant wall television's controls.

_This is Eliza Cassan. Detroit welcomes David Sarif and Dr. Hugh Darrow back from their reportedly successful trip to the experimental 'Future City' of Tokyo-3. The two experts on prosthetics traveled to Japan to offer Sarif Industries' products to wounded forces from the 'NERV' UN peacekeeping organization. Their solution is expected to allow members of NERV to act in spite of injuries resulting from the recent terrorist strikes on their facilities. NERV has achieved international recognition for its efforts in repairing the damages caused by the Asteroid strike in Antarctica- dubbed the Second Impact -16 years ago.  
Remember, for the latest reports, always choose Live from Picus._

"Is that an example of 'spin' in the news, Shinji?" Rei asked him as she opened one of the fold-out couches to make her bed.

"As thinly veiled of an example as there can be, yes." He answered as he climbed into his own.

* * *

They were awakened at 0630 the next morning by a wakeup alarm from Sarif's testing lab. Kaji reminded the teens to eat their prescription meal bars and dress for what would amount to a very tough workout. When their escort arrived, Kaji was wearing his usual poorly-kempt sportcoat and slacks combination while Shinji and Rei were both dressed in running shoes and exercise pants and shirts. They rode the overhead inverted subway over the city, seeing the police presence in the streets. Sarif had told Kaji about the past gang problems Detroit had and how Sarif's contributions to the police department had weakened the gangs' hold on money throughout the city, but, like other problems Detroit still had, there was still work to be done.

They rode into the business terminal in Sarif's building to be greeted by Dr. Darrow as they disembarked. He took them on an express elevator deep down into the basement of the tower. There, they were ushered into a medical examination area with a classroom and physical challenge course connected to its corridors. Darrow sat the trio down in the classroom and began a slideshow presentation on the nanites installed in their bodies. They learned what to expect from the video interface in their eyes, how to mentally activate and deactivate their enhancements to better manage the electrical power their bodies generated, and how Sarif's training ground was designed to test experimental police prosthetics. They wouldn't have things like Tasers or tear gas canisters in their wrists or grappling hook launchers in their arms, but they will still have their wits about them during the training.

Darrow finished the briefing and they all followed him to the medical lab. Shinij and Rei were directed to sit up on the exam beds and Darrow opened a computer terminal which targeted the biochips implanted in the two teens. They felt an electric shock which stunned them rigid in their seats as their eyes lit up with the bioelectrics flowing through them, Shinji's eyes glowing an electric blue and Rei's eyes glowing red like fire. They read the bootstrap output being projected onto their retina.

_Compute Node Linux Environment.  
No. of CPUs: 3.1X10^9  
RAM: 3.1X10^9 * 512MB  
Bandwidth: 10Gb 802.11 Multiple Input Multiple Output_

_Operator: Shinji Ikari, M  
Race: Asian  
Age: 15 Years_

"Rei...are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Shinji was terrified and awestruck.

A bright light flashed in their eyes before they found themselves looking at the world through a computer interface. Shinji turned his eyes up and to his left and saw an x-ray output of his body, with a counter for his heart rate, blood oxygen level, and statuses for any broken bones. He looked to his right and saw icons representing the various augmentations: a flexed, muscled arm holding a knife; a red cross over a kevlar vest; a scrambled radio antenna; a water meter reading dissolved oxygen levels; a pair of legs running very fast.

"Yes. It appears that we're connected to a computer representation of the world around us. It's not terribly different from the heads-up-displays in the Evas."

"Very good, Miss Ayanami. That means that the system integration is functional. Now, please stand and feel for your balance. It may feel awkward at first, with the nanites correcting your inner ear; that's part of the trauma resistance augmentation."

Shinji and Rei dropped from the bed to their feet. Darrow instructed them to lean as far to their sides as they could. When the began to fall, their legs righted themselves reflexively. "Very good. You'll experience more of that shortly." He pressed a button on his desk and a security officer appeared. "The UN Inspector General and I will be proceeding to the test observation platform, you two please follow our escort to the staging area."

Rei answered with a simple 'Yes Sir' for the both of them.

* * *

Shinji and Rei found themselves in a waiting area filled with men and women of various races and statures, all with some form of robotic prosthetics. Several of them reacted with raised eyebrows at the two _children_ entering the room.

"Aren't you kids a little young to be combat augs?" One man with a flat-top haircut and two artificial legs asked them.

"Yes. Yes we are." Rei answered. "How did you come to receive your injuries?"

The man was surprised at the blue-haired girl's courtesy; most of the Detroit girls with messed up hair colors were gang townies. "It was a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Sarif has a DOD contract offering artificial limbs to war vets...the drugs we have to take absolutely beat the hell out of us, though. What about you two?"

"Our subway train derailed after it was bombed. We were casualties of the attacks on Tokyo-3. Perhaps you saw it on the news broadcast?"

"Huh...Yeah, I did...what kind of bastard would blow up a train with civilians onboard? You two don't have any prosthetics, so..."

"We have internal augmentations."

"Ah. Well, at least you don't have to worry about strange looks from folks-"

_IKARI AND AYANAMI. REPORT TO THE STARTING BLOCK._

The two teens left the inquisitive soldier and entered the door marked 'Training'. Inside they found a long corridor with another door at the end of the hall. The radios inside their heads spoke, causing Shinji to jump in his shoes while Rei stared, unamused, at her skittish boyfriend.

"We'll need to work on your anxiety in the future, Shinji. Your first task is simple: Open the locked door. Search the area for the door key- some careless homeowners and employees often leave room keys/passwords/id cards right out in the open. Learn to exploit this."

Shinji and Rei began searching with their eyes until Rei thought to mentally order the identification software to act as a metal detector. She found the door key stuffed under the bedding for an artificial plant at the end of the hallway.

"Very good Rei. Use your augmentations to your advantage. You do have them at your disposal, after all. Put the key back in the plant after you open the door."

The next room had no key, but there was a toolbox in a cabinet. The next door, Darrow explained, needed to be opened without a key. Rei moved to the toolbox and removed a screwdriver and Allen wrench from the trays and began deftly picking the lock, until Shinji found a hammer and awl. He stepped to Rei's side and tapped the pins loose from the half-pin barrel hinges and removed the door from its frame.

"Thank you, Shinji. Now we'll need to shut that part of the course down while maintenance reattaches the door." Darrow complained while Kaji laughed at his misfortune and Shinji's creativity. "The next room has a keypad entry system. Find the password somewhere in the room."

"Okay, Rei." Shinji stated out loud. "This'll be like the first room, so look around for anything that a code could be buried under." He sat down in the office chair by the desk in the room and rooted through the drawers, only to have a sneaky spark of inspiration. He flipped the chair over onto its head and grabbed the notepad taped to its underside. "Rei, type this in the door pad: Zero-Four-Five-One." The door opened to another room. This one was completely empty except for the door at the end of the hall and the window where they could see Darrow and Kaji watching them.

"If you are familiar with brute-force attacks, you'll know that the 3.1 Billion node computer network inside you can be used to flood a security system with password guesses. This door is controlled by a wireless switch using 64-bit security. More complicated locks will take longer to override, so you'll need to manage your time when investigating in the field."

Rei used her mental WiFi connection to determine the keypad's network address, then began flooding it with every 64-bit value her nanite network could generate. The door opened after roughly one minute of flooding, as Darrow noted.

"Once again, the process will be similar in the field, but it will be much more difficult. We use an easy lock here to save time."

The next room found Shinji and Rei looking at a Sarif security guard lying on his face on the floor.

"Officer Winslow here was given the 'wrong' drugs. Use the biochip to diagnose and treat him."

Rei stepped up to him as Shinji watched. She noticed he had a weak, erratic pulse and no breathing. She downloaded the proper steps for cardiopulmonary resuscitation into a readable document and began giving him chest thrusts and rescue breaths.

"Shinji, you have a higher electrical charge than Rei, right now. She has diagnosed him properly, it _is_ simulated fibrillation. Use your hands to deliver a shock to Winslow when she finishes her chest blows."

He stepped up to Rei as she took a moment to breathe. He placed his hands on the two targets the biochip marked on the man's body and cringed as a minor electric shock was transferred from his hands to the guard's body. The man opened his eyes, coughed and sputtered, and thanked the two before obscenely stating how he hated acting in these training exercises, then handed the door key to Shinji as they were given permission to move to the sixth room in their orientation...

...It was pitch black, and Shinji tripped and his feet jumped to a landing position automatically.

"Shinji, that's the balance compensation I demonstrated earlier. Now, activate your night vision." Shinji and Rei's vision melded into a green hue as crates and barriers appeared before them in the darkness. "Navigate the container maze and exit the room. The next door is unlocked."

With night vision, it was easy. There was a path through the boxes that simply needed to be found, then casually walked until the pair reached the exit.

"Remember, not using your tools when they are necessary can lead to embarrassing injury, correct _Shinji_?"

"Not. Funny. Where next?"

"First, walk to the office in the side of the hallway and grab a drink and a Cyberboost bar. You'll need them."

They took the augmented refreshments from a guard in the office and continued to the next room, a large gap in the floor.

"If you haven't figured it out yet, this is a long jump. Use your leg strength to mind the gap."

Shinji shrugged to Rei and sprinted up to the ledge and jumped, sailing through the air to trip on the edge and land on his hands and knees. He noted that his left foot was throbbing in pain and had turned orange on his monitor.

"Rei...this isn't just an easy game. I sprained my ankle-"

"The medical bot you'll be approaching soon will re-set it, Shinji." Darrow answered over the radio.

Shinji waved to Rei to come. She ran to the edge and jumped, only to come short and nearly fall to the floor deep below if Shinji hadn't caught her arms and hoisted her up, Rei blushing at Shinji's strength, which he still rarely showed off. = He is always so gentle at home...I regularly forget all that he's capable of... =

"It'll be good to remember that Shinji has more natural leg strength than Rei, but the two of you doing the course together has paid off rather well, so far. The next room is pretty big: it's a climbing test. Much like the night vision test, we've stacked shipping crates that need to be navigated- vertically, this time. The lights will stay on, however.

Rei wasn't as strong as Shinji, but her lower weight meant less work for her upper body to handle. By diverting more power to her arm enhancements, she quickly hoisted herself up each level of crates, waiting to pull Shinji, who was tender around his ankle, as he slowly followed her. They found themselves on a ledge overlooking an Olympic swimming pool.

"Clothes stay on, no swimwear. You won't be swimming at all, actually. You need to jump in, sink to the bottom, and _walk_ to the other side. Your amphibious augmentation will keep you breathing. It'll feel odd, but you won't be breathing in, just _out,_ as the oxygen injected into your blood gets filtered out in your lungs."

"Rei..." Shinji apprehensively turned to her. "You know I-"

She held his hand and walked to the edge. "We won't be swimming, like he said. We should trust our doctors." She jumped in, pulling him in behind her...

...It was incredible. They felt themselves quickly needing to breathe out, but felt no signs of drowning or asphyxiation underwater. The pool water stung their eyes, but they needed to see to get out, so they pressed forward, walking the 100 meters to the end of the pool and climbing out on the ladder at the end.

They blinked the pain away and spat the pool water out of their mouths. Shinji was directed to the autodoc nearby which gave his foot a light painkiller and worked his ankle back into proper walking condition.

"Our mechanical subjects don't have the AquaLung aug. It's still experimental. They _do_ have to swim, and it's not easy, with the components they use. You two are the first to use this particular development."

"It was most unlike LCL." Rei stated to Shinij as the bot finished his leg.

"You two get dried off. Your defense training begins next."

Shinji and Rei stepped under the hot-air blowers and felt the water wick away. They walked through the armored doors to be stopped by a quartermaster. He read their identification into the security network and handed them their new weapons.

"Standard-issue Zenith 10mm handgun. You...kids...ever handle a handgun before?" He quizzically looked at the teenage pair before him.

"We receive small-arms training at our home employment." Rei answered him, almost mechanically.

"...Right. Well, the range before you tests basic firearm skills. You'll receive magazines when you step up to the firing line."

They entered the range and a window beside each lane opened. Shinji and Rei each took a magazine and installed it.

"When I release the targets, they'll scoot in towards the failure line. The farther away the bullseye, the more accurate of a shooter you are." Darrow released the targets and they rode the rails in towards the firing line...They _should_ have rode the rails in towards the firing line, anyway. Shinji and Rei both centered several shots on the chest and head as soon as they were released. Kaji made Darrow aware of the significant training they receive at NERV.

"If that be the case, then we'll level the playing field..." The two deadshot teens were suddenly stricken with a bout of chills, and they began uncontrollably shivering and went cross eyed as the next targets slid down the tracks.

Rei struggled to bring her hands to bear on the blurry target. Shinji had double vision and thought to himself. = Center _in between the targets_ and pull the trigger. = Shinji fired in between the two human profiles and they were struck in the silouhette's throat. The tremors stopped and Kaji clapped at Shinji's lethality, even when impaired. They were directed to remove the magazines but keep the handguns. This was to be their standard weapon for the duration of their employment. They would receive magazines and ammunition for defense later.

They continued on to the next room. This range went back much, much farther, to the point that the backdrop was nearly invisible.

"How much of Detroit did they have to dig up to build this place?" Shinji asked nobody in the room, forgetting that his transceiver was still live.

"Quite a bit, Shinji. Don't worry about the logistics of it. David owns most of the city, already. This is the rifle range. You'll be tested with our Suppressed Extreme Range Sniper Rifle. If we used the standard variant, the noise would knock down the range partitions."

Rei picked a sniper rifle from the armory closet, pressed the target release for both lanes, and shot them both the instant they were released onto the rails.

"...Just to be clear...How was Miss Ayanami capable of that?"

"Her favorite loadout at NERV was the precision rifle...It's just kind of her thing."

"...Right. Well, the rifles have to be checked back in before you move on." The pair emptied their weapons and returned them to the armory closet, prompting Darrow to open the next corridor.

"This is the explosives range. Your task is to set traps for the cheap video bots we have patrolling the hallway." A wall panel opened to reveal proximity tripmines. "Lure them into range of the mine and it will be destroyed. Don't worry, they exist to be replaced."

Shinji took several out of the panel and darted into the hallway, tossing the mines right to the bases of the patrol bots. "Why set a trap when you can take the fight to them?" He asked over the radio then laughed madly as bits of servo motor and chassis bounced around the corridor.

"Shinji," Darrow answered, "you're not only acting recklessly, you're abandoning the point of this training when you break our rules."

"When you're in an engagement where your mere presence is a threat to your life, Doctor, there are _no_ rules, only survival. We've learned that from experience."

"Yes, yes, your philosophy is as valid as our own...The next chamber is mine defusal. There are electrical stun mines on each corner wall. Your task is to remove them. They have a time delay with which they can be disabled after you enter within the mine's range.

The door opened and Shinji and Rei noted the two traps on either side of the room. Rei silently walked to one of the mines and extracted it from the wall. She saw the other one was a direct line away from here, so she concentrated her strength in her throwing arm, and sent one mine flying into another. The mines exploded when they contacted, sending arcs of electricity through the room.

"You were supposed to disarm _both_ of them, Rei."

"Why? There was a more efficient solution." She asked, curious as to why one wouldn't choose such an obvious route.

"You two are going to give me an ulcer. The fourteenth room is the stealth test. The far door will close if a security camera or audio trigger detects you."

The door to the labyrinthine room opened and the teens saw several of the miniature cameras embedded in the ceilings and walls.

"Shinji," Rei stated, "the computer architecture we have been supplied is capable of interfering with other networked devices. Let's not waste our time avoiding the cameras, simply overpower them."

"Right." The pair looked through the hallways, marking the detection hardware with their identification software, and wirelessly mapped the room's security. They waited at the entrance to the room as their mental network launched brute-force attacks on the security system, and one by one, the cameras in Darrow's security terminal went off-line. The pair sprinted through the halls to the exit, to find the door closed.

"You told us to avoid the security, Darrow." Shinji accused over the radio.

"Yes, but when an entire wing goes dark, the security official will know something is up."

Shinji deactivated his radio and whispered to Rei. "How strong is the electric lock, here?"

Rei closed her eyes and examined the wireless network around them. "256-bit. We could be here for days trying to break through it." She began walking back to the entrance to begin again when Shinji noticed a ventilation cover that looked large enough to crawl through. He stimulated and tensed his arms and tore the vent cover away from the wall, motioning for Rei to follow him inside. He noted that he was oriented relatively Eastward on a Northbound corridor, so he turned left at the nearby vent junction and found himself looking out of another cover into a third crate maze. He shuffled and squeezed around to kick and pound the cover away and awkwardly squeeze into the next room.

"Shinji," Darrow called over the radio, "I'd like you to understand how much this damage to our facilities is going to cost."

"I don't care about the damage I cause. I'm going through this course following the real world's rules. Specifically, none."

"The difference between there and here is that this _isn't_ a fight for survival. In this final area, the two of you will receive a Taser. It contains a charge strong enough to overpower an electrically enhanced participant...I think you two know what to do."

Shinji looked over to Rei. "No."

"What?" Darrow asked.

"I've had to fight Rei as part of my training, before. I'm not fighting her here."

"Normally it's one agent against a team of security. Since we have two augmented personnel performing the course, we decided to change the setup. If you don't fight, the door doesn't open, and this one doesn't have a floor vent."

"Shinji, let's just finish this course." She said to him. Two guards entered the room and handed the pair each one shock tool. The lights were cut, bathing the two in darkness. Shinji and Rei instinctively activated their night vision. "I do not see a clever way to subvert the rules, here."

They split and moved to either side of the room, their identification software tracking one another as Rei silently drifted through the ground-level corridors. Shinji took advantage of his leg strength to get up on top of the crates, keeping a room's distance between him and her. = I...I...the last time we fought...I hadn't asked her out, then. We've spent most of our time sitting on alert until she...No, Shinji you don't get to think like that. She did nothing wrong...The last couple of months, we didn't do any fighting at all...Then she gets blown up because _I_ let her come to NERV with me that day...I _knew _something bad would happen! This is why I wasn't sleeping the night before! I...I should've been the only one on that train... = His once-overcome depression got the better of him, again. He climbed across the containers until he was over Rei's position. He jumped down directly in front of her and he dropped his weapon.

"Shinji," She said. "We need to fight properly."

"Yeah, you just won." He brought her weapon up to his chest and forced her hand to shock him. He convulsed and collapsed to the ground. "We-Well...done."

The doors opened and several guards and medics entered to check on him as he and Rei were brought out of their assessment.


	5. The Briton

Answers: Kaze and Fleight, I went with NanoAugs because they are _much_ cooler, and you find out at the end of DX: HR that Sarif does in fact have the first-gen nano aug prototypes...

* * *

Chapter 5: The Briton

* * *

NERV Conference Room

Mari was standing before Misato and Professor Fuyutsuki, late at night, while Kaworu typed a spreadsheet displaying the suspected identities of their political enemy.

_SEELE-01: Lorenz, Germany.  
SEELE-02: UNKNOWN, UNKNOWN  
SEELE-03: UNKNOWN, UNKNOWN  
SEELE-04: UNKNOWN, England.  
SEELE-05: UNKNOWN, China?_

"So you see," Mari pointed a stick towards the projection on the wall. "The five known SEELE Representatives are currently well-concealed. We know that Chairman Keel Lorenz of the UN Security Council represents Germany, and we have a transcript of a conversation recorded by Kaworu which we've analyzed and determined possible identities of SEELE-04 and 05."

"And Kaworu was able to steal this, how?"

"Ask the Professor, Misato."

"Mr. Nagisa managed to get into Ikari's holodeck, didn't he?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"Yep he did. Anyway, SEELE-05 made several specific mentions about Belltower security and Tai-Yong Medical, using an insider's style of speech. We've got a hunch that it's a Tai-Yong executive, hell, it might even be Zhao Yun Ru herself."

"Pinning the blame on the richest woman on Earth is a risky move, Captain Illustrious."

"Yeah, but someone on SEELE's council is _going_ to be way at the top...which brings me to my next point. SEELE-04: Kaworu was able to extract the audio from the masking tones, and SEELE-04 is confirmed to speak with an English accent and, more importantly, managed to identify _me_ while in the SEELE Units' conference."

"You've got an identification from nothing more than an accent?" Fuyutsuki wasn't an idealist, indeed he was a skeptic for life, and Mari's report was far too convenient to be true.

"There's only one Englishman that I can relate to NERV and the UN. Lucius DeBeers, Labour Party in the House of Lords. He favors unification of the EU into a single 'Europa' nation...sounds like a conspiracy type, right? More importantly, his place on the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy oversaw post Second-Impact recovery. He oversaw the pool of candidates for the IPEA when Unit-05's construction started. I _know _it's him after he fingered me as Kaji's hired gun during the Professor's rescue."

"What's your recommendation, Operations Director?"

"Sub-Commander Katsuragi, I would like to put in the request for a 96-hour pass. I need to set up a meeting with my MP."

"Don't tell me you plan to fly to England and shoot this guy during a Parliament Assembly."

"Of course not...I planned on doing it at his house."

* * *

Roughly one day later...

"So let me get this straight;" David fast forwarded through the video feeds from Shinji and Rei's mockery of his training program. "You deconstruct the lock-picking facility, outperform every previous candidate on the firing ranges, destroy our explosives and defusal ranges, essentially cheat during the stealth portion, and Shinji-" He restarted the feed at the point where Shinji gave up during their duel. "-what exactly was this stunt here?"

The boy had been wearing a sullen expression ever since he'd been checked by a medic after 'losing'. "Rei shouldn't be here. I'm the only one who should've been attacked that day. If I hadn't been acting like a lost sheep the day before then she wouldn't be riding the train with me-"

"Shinji," The competitive businessman answered. "it doesn't matter who was on the train that day. You and Rei both survived because of _our_ intervention. What matters is Dr. Akagi's resourcefulness and the fact that we've identified the terrorists that did this to you. The two assholes your friend caught work for Belltower private security, and Belltower's biggest contractor is TYM...If Tai-Yong has any connection to 'SEELE', this is the proof. There's no other reason for you two to be attacked by those bastards.

We're not throwing you after them until NERV gives us a concrete lead on SEELE's identities, your friend Mr. Nagisa is handling that right now. If you don't take out the leadership at the very top, they'll simply replace whatever underlings you do manage to take care of."

"Then we ...wait?" Rei asked.

"Well, we do have some more testing to do. We need to test your drive capacity, so we're going to have you doing some broadcasting. When you two are out in the real world, the glowing eyes might set some people off..." He handed them each a set of fitted sunglasses. "Your vision is augmented, after all, but it's better if people don't know that."

Shinji and Rei each put their sunglasses on, and Shinji noticed one implication of David's statement. "Does that mean we've gotta wear these things at night?"

* * *

She brought her VTOL down on London Heliport's Thames River landing pad and quickly reread the messages she'd sent DeBeers after Kaworu's investigation. Mari's shrewd lies had convinced the old man that she'd survived the Bethany incident, had left the IPEA, and was now looking to receive a recommendation for Cambridge, and a Parliamentarian would have great weight on her acceptance board. She had a meeting in his London office and had flown in dressed in a knee-length skirt, jacket, and hair in a bun, looking like a young woman entering law school. "They say discretion is the better part of valor, but still. I need to be quiet if I'm going to have to off this guy in public."

She entered the terminal, registered her aircraft, and checked customs, showing her UN identification in lieu of a passport; there really isn't anything that a NERV ID can't get access to...except station fees.

"238 Pounds just to land?! Who runs this rickety place?"

"Apologies, miss, but the fee for a temporary vertical craft is set-"

"I know, I know...Where I'm normally stationed, we call this 'highway robbery'." She paid the fee after complaining and hailed a cab. The cabbie drove her to the center of government where she looked on the Parliament building. "Y'know, buddy, this is the first time I've seen England in 10 years. I had to move to Russia when I was seven, and I moved to Japan some time last year...Hell, I'll be going back there after I finish up here today..."

"Stayin' on the Isles for just one day, love? Sounds like a waste of a trip to me."

"Oh, I plan on ending it with a bang." She disembarked and walked to the Parliament Members' offices. She found DeBeers' room and entered when the young, male Parliament intern confirmed her meeting. The frail old man had, of course, aged 10 years since she last saw him.

"Dame Mari Illustrious," He gradually rose from his chair. "please do forgive me for assuming the worst when I heard about Bethany Base. Morgan! Close the doors and get the two of us some tea, would you, dear boy?" The intern complied.

"Think nothing of it, Lord DeBeers. Bethany is being rebuilt and I'm better than ever, I just miss Unit-05." She opened her briefcase and extracted several zipped fabric binders, one of which she discreetly laid on the floor under DeBeers' desk. "Still, I don't feel any remorse for getting to have a peacetime meeting with you."

"Yes, by all accounts, the efforts of the IPEA and NERV ended an extraterrestrial threat that most of us couldn't fathom in our darkest nightmares..."

She laughed a bit and continued. "You know I had no idea what any of you folks were going on about when you plucked me from that orphanage at seven years old? After all, you tell a little hyperactive kid that they get to fight aliens and they think you're the greatest thing ever!"

"I never liked the idea of using Children, believe me, but you yourself seem to have turned out quite well, and that brings us to the subject of our meeting today." The intern returned with drinks and DeBeers helped himself before continuing. "A recommendation to Cambridge, you say? Morgan here is an Oxford man himself." He motioned towards the young man.

She smirked at the young graduate student. "Well, I plan on getting a _real_ education, so..."

The intern answered her. "_This_ microelectronics major thinks you're blowing smoke. Cambridge, ugh!"

"Microelectronics? You should look into Sarif Industries or _Tai-Yong Medical_ after you graduate." She glared into the old man's eyes as she emphasized that name. She noticed the near-invisible change in the old man's complexion. = Gotcha. =

"Getting back on topic now, Miss Illustrious, I'll need a full history from your current employers in...Are you still in Russia?"

"Japan, actually. The United Nations Inspector General at Bethany Base saved me from basically drowning in the ocean after Eva Unit-05 was destroyed. He took me to the NERV Headquarters in Japan, where I started acting in reserve during the brunt of the fighting in Hakone."

The old man looked puzzled for a moment. "You were, at the beginning, IPEA, not NERV. Was this an authorized transfer?"

"No, but the UN overlooked it because of the dire need for pilots when the Second Child was incapacitated. Besides, you're on the National Security committee, you've been briefed on this, haven't you?"

"No. I was told that everything about Unit-05 was destroyed...until I saw what I thought was you in Norway."

"Oh yeah, that little adventure...Well, Inspector General Kaji thought it'd be a good idea to have a bodyguard during his speech to the UN Summit a while ago, so he brought me along while I was still inactive. Having me was a good idea, it ended up saving somebody's life, that day...In fact, I think you'll like what you hear if you play this audio file." She handed him a USB drive. "I promise it's not a virus or a Nigerian Scam, but it is classified. I've gotta ask Morgan to step out."

"This is important, Mr. Everett, go take an hour for lunch today." The Lord gave his intern permission to leave. The young man stepped out and Lucius played the track on his office computer.

* * *

_SEELE-01 SOUND ONLY: "How is it that all four Evangelion Pilots survived?"_

_SEELE-05 SOUND ONLY: "The First and Third were riding in the same train car, our operatives hit it in perfect coordination. The sources in the press report emergency crews pulling burning corpses from that rail line. The Second was shot, the round over-penetrated her body; the bloodstain is still on the concrete walkway by the target. By all accounts, she could be slipping from life as we speak. The Fifth was given more than the lethal dose of concentrated Sarin...The Second and Fifth can only be explained by the extremely rapid response by NERV's Section 2 emergency management. Most of the experienced agents were killed in the JSDF invasion-"_

_SEELE-03 SOUND ONLY: "The invasion where the Chairman's so-called Perfect Evangelions failed to breach NERV's interior."_

_SEELE-01 SOUND ONLY: "Enough from you. The Fifth Child was the key to the Invasion, and it betrayed us...it also survived its execution."_

_SEELE-05 SOUND ONLY: "To kill a human with the AT Field of a god...We have the technology to grow a synthetic Core Organ...we only need to miniaturize it, then implant it into an individual who would not betray us as the Fifth Child did."_

_SEELE-01 SOUND ONLY: "As for the First and Third, your attackers were quickly overpowered by the Fifth Child's Unit, even as the Fifth Child was receiving a needle in its arm."_

_SEELE-04 SOUND ONLY: "Perhaps NERV's attempts to build its dummy plugs were not as embarrassing of a failure as Ikari acted?"_

_SEELE-01 SOUND ONLY: "No, we have proven that the Japanese dummy plugs have failed. Our Adam-based plugs were programmed immediately as opposed to Ikari's inefficient cumulative programming."_

_SEELE-02 SOUND ONLY: "Then Unit-06 would have had a reserve pilot...We do not know of any adolescents who have volunteered to have a link generated to it, nor have we created any Cores for new pilots."_

_SEELE-04 SOUND ONLY: "I believe you just identified the pilot. The English female that Ryouji Kaji efficiently killed the JSDF infiltrators alongside...There is no way that she could have acted with that level of skill without official authorization. Security tapes from the center reveal the female assailant utilizing an impact-resistant bodysuit-"_

* * *

This time, the electronic masking did not accompany the voices. The various accents were on display for all to hear, and SEELE-04's tone and inflection matched DeBeers' own without question, and the old man's face was a mixture of terror and rage. Mari offered her explanation.

"Just so you know...My hunky boyfriend Kaworu, or _ADAM_, if that name rings a bell, didn't die when your little prick poisoned him. He did, however, uncover the natural voices for the SEELE Units...tell me, do you have your conferences here, or do you have to go back to the DeBeers family estate?"

"...I could shoot you right now."

"But you won't, because you know that'll cause an international uproar. 'HEADLINE: NERV HEROINE MURDERED BY HOUSE OF LORDS'; people won't even have to care what SEELE is...I'm not really looking for a scholarship. I'm here to tell you that having your Chinese friend attempt to kill my friends is a _bad_ idea. I happen to dislike watching my friends suffer in a hospital. I just thought giving you that message is fair for all sides. Good day, sir." She packed up her briefcase and left the room, making her way to a nearby loo where she changed her clothes into her private schoolgirl's outfit: a blouse, tie, pleated skirt and stockings. She pressed a button on the watch she'd been issued when she checked into NERV's armory and felt the explosion that erupted from one particular office. The young Morgan Everett exited the men's room and saw the aftermath of the assassination attempt and ran in to see his mentor barely still alive, his body riddled with shards of what used to be an oak desk.

"Morgan..." The half-dead old man croaked out to his protégé.

"Be still, Sir, we'll get you medical care and life support..." He dialed the local emergency number from his cellular phone.

Meanwhile, a high-school girl pretended to confusedly stumble out of the Parliament offices, audibly wondering how the poor man could be attacked like that. She smirked as she watched several fire trucks on their way to the building.

* * *

AND HE'S OUT!

The Tigers' pitcher threw out Toronto's hitter, and David asked Shinji and Rei if they got a good closeup of the strike.

"So how exactly does watching the game count as training?"

"We're testing the storage area network that operates across the nanites. A three to five hour high-definition video stream is a good, large file to test." He looked at the tablet he was carrying, currently tuned into the output from Shinji's eyes. "And sending out several gigabytes per minute of high-quality video and audio is a good way to stress your infolink."

"Does this mean that you can watch and listen to whatever we're doing?"

"Only when you're broadcasting an assignment. If your cameras stayed on constantly, you'd exhaust all your drive space. It's not so much a matter of privacy as it is a matter of logistics."

The Blue Jays ended up winning 5 runs to 3, and both teen survivors filmed and streamed the entire game, filling up a portion of their storage space before getting the file integrity inspected by Dr. Darrow back at Sarif's tower. As it turns out, uploading 400 Gigabytes from your brain is a rather taxing experience. Shinji and Rei grabbed their heads and wavered in their seats, needing all of their coordination not to collapse to the stadium floor. Both teens were left dazed and lightheaded after the files were deleted.

"It feels as if I were carrying a kettlebell or some other awkward weight, which I then randomly dropped. The change is...disorienting." Rei described the sensation to David.

"We'll adjust the data rate. If a bout of vertigo hits you during a job, it could put you in _actual_ danger. Stuff like this reminds us that you're using prototype equipment."

* * *

The next morning, Tokyo-3...

"A big, loud 'Mission Accomplished' for me, Misato! That Limey bastard never knew what hit him!" Mari had practically sprinted all the way back to the Heliport and had taken off after she checked her VTOL's fuel. Crossing over the arctic bought her a day of time and she had permission to land at the still-healing Bethany base in Russia. After that one fuel stop, well, it was good to be home, and her debrief to Misato was short and sweet.

"Mari, you aren't a hitman." The dark-haired woman answered. "This was a fluke, a necessary evil, an opportunity that matched _you_ simply because you're already familiar with the adversary. However we are (not) going to celebrate an assassination."

"The sub-Commander is correct, Mari." Kaworu entered the conversation. "There is nothing to gain from gloating about death."

"What about being proud of taking out one of the guys that nearly murdered my best friends!?"

"Pride is less important than discretion. SEELE hit us with an anonymous attack. If they want a war with NERV, we're going to give them an Invisible War. Part of that means no gloating at the scene of the crime. By the way, good job and welcome home."

* * *

After the game, and Shinji and Rei's latest test, Kaji and his two charges separated from David and returned to the apartment, where they had a message from Sarif waiting for them on their answering machine.

_NanoAug Unit-00 and 01, make sure the television is 'OFF' and then type '5375' into the remote control...You'll find a few things that'll help you in the future._

Shinji shrugged to Kaji and Rei and typed the key combination into the remote...and the television began to ascend towards the ceiling to reveal a closet space behind it, containing several components for their handguns: laser attachments, barrel suppressors, and two hundred rounds of armor-piercing munitions. There was a note sitting beside the various boxes:

"You two'll eventually have to face people willing to use missiles against a subway train...You can guess where I'm taking this. Your first role is to protect your own lives; that means taking out any opponents quietly from the shadows. There's no point in facing them up front, we aren't prepared to start a war against a PMC."

Kaji summarized what everyone was thinking. "Looks like you two're going to be getting your first assignment very soon..."

* * *

Inside NERV HQ, Kaworu was going through the updated statuses for their adversaries.

_SEELE-01: Lorenz, Germany. ALIVE  
SEELE-02: UNKNOWN, UNKNOWN  
SEELE-03: UNKNOWN, UNKNOWN  
SEELE-04: DeBeers, England. DECEASED?  
SEELE-05: UNKNOWN, China?_

_SEELE-02: DOWD or PAGE, AMERICAN?_

Mari walked up to his side. "You have SEELE-02 pegged?"

"I was able to determine their accent. New-Yorker American. Based on my research into the Illuminati's history, Mr. Sarif was right. 'Illuminati', 'SEELE'...two faces of the same coin. I was able to determine two surviving family lines with American Illuminati involvement. The Rockefellers and Rothschilds all died off in the 1990's. The Page family, famous for their medical and banking success, and the Dowd family, transportation moguls, are both still strong...Stanton Dowd, 22 years old, is the First Mate for one of his family's supertankers. It's in dry dock in New York city as we speak. He would be the easiest to find...If we want the simplest solution for locating SEELE-02, I think he is it...I'll give my report to Colonel Katsuragi as soon as I finalize it. This one is going to be Shinji and Rei's task, they're still in Detroit at the moment..."

* * *

A/N: I think you guys can see how this story is coming together, so far. So, how's mixing Eva history into Deus Ex's future? I'd love to get some reviews!


	6. On Broadway

Answers: Kaze, Vent, Fleight, and Ads: Thanks for the endless compliments, everyone

* * *

Chapter 6: On Broadway

* * *

_This is Eliza Cassan. International terrorism has again revealed itself, this time in London. Yesterday, the administrative offices for Parliament were bombed in an unforeseen attack. Among other individuals with non life-threatening injuries was Lord Lucius DeBeers, now in critical condition at Oxford University Medical Center. The representative from the Upper House is expected to remain on life support for the foreseeable future. The primary suspect for this attack is an unknown adolescent female with brunette hair. Any individuals with more specific information are asked to contact Scotland Yard with their account.  
Remember, for the latest news, always choose Live from Picus._

"Somebody bombed England? Do you think it was the same people that hit us?" Shinji asked Kaji as they listened to the unconventionally beautiful Eliza Cassan's latest news broadcast.

"No, Shinji, think harder. How many teenage English brunettes do we know?"

"Mari?!"

"We should have a call coming from Misato any time now, we'll figure out what happened when she gets to us."

"But you don't actually believe-"

"Yes I do. This just feels like something she'd do." They continued idly watching until the large television signal was replaced by a feed from NERV and routed through Sarif Industries. Small windows containing the faces of Ritsuko, Misato and Fuyutuski, Mari and Kaworu, Darrow, and Sarif appeared.

"So...looks like we've got some activity, here." Kaji noted as all the feeds buffered in.

"Yes. I'll go first." Misato stated. "Hugh and David, thank you again for saving Shinji and Rei, what you've done for us was selfless and-"

"Self_ish_ actually," Sarif stated. "We've essentially given NERV a Five-Billion Dollar donation...Do you have any idea about the tax writeoff we'll get for it?" He asked and Kaji audibly cracked up from the statement.

Misato facepalmed and continued "...Anyway, Picus news has picked up on the story before we could get this meeting together. Mari?"

"Why yes, what can I do for you, o great and Fearless Leader?"

"You've been gloating ever since you got home, so I'll let you handle the debrief."

"Okay! So Kaworu managed to pin this old fart in the House of Lords as SEELE-04, right? Well, I just happen to know old DeBeers from way back when I was picked for the IPEA's alternate Eva program, in case NERV failed- that's where Unit-05 came from, by the way. Anyway, I fly out to England on my shiny new NERV VTOL and arrange a meeting with this guy in his Parliament office. Well, Robert's your uncle, Frannie's your aunt and a couple of blocks of C4 later, and SEELE-04 is down! While I'm out splattering the walls with pensioneer entrails, Kaworu pins SEELE-02 as either an old bastard from the Dowd family or an old bastard from the Page family. Puppy and Watergirl get to go traipsing around NY, NY to find Stanton Dowd- the easiest subject to pick up. He's in New York harbor getting his ship fixed, so he's stuck in place until that changes, and now's our chance to give him a friendly interrogation!" The unhinged girl happily explained.

Darrow commented on the option. "We'll be sending Unit-00 and 01 to find a member of a docked ship's crew, even though there's a distinct possibility that this individual is a complete red herring?"

"It's the most cohesive lead we have, so we cannot pass it over on the grounds of 'possibility'." Kaworu answered.

"No need to be concerned, Dr. Darrow." Fuyutsuki interjected. "It was Mr. Nagisa that uncovered SEELE-04, and the identity was confirmed by Ms. Illustrious. I have complete faith in their investigation of SEELE-02."

"But we cannot afford for Shinji and Rei to assault or endanger any innocent individuals. Everything we are doing is considered outside the law- at best, vigilante justice –and collateral damage leaves a trail of breadcrumbs behind the perpetrator."

"You discussed silence and stealth when we were training, Dr. Darrow. If this individual is associated with the Instrumentality committee in any fashion, he will need to be interrogated no matter what. Perhaps we could have Inspector Kaji's assistance transporting him to a location advantageous to investigation? All we would need do is ensure that there is a safe path to his location before Kaji removes him." Rei was already creating a plan in her head, vocalizing a solution to Darrow's concerns.

"No matter what, Miss Ayanami, discretion is mandatory in this instance. Now, you three need to pack for several days in New York. Sarif can accommodate you in the Hell's Kitchen Hilton."

"Make it room for Four, Doctor." Misato spoke. "I'll be flying out there as well. Kaji, get a plan to touch down at LaGuardia's executive terminal. It'll be much easier for us to all meet up, there."

* * *

Two days later...

"Tell ya what, kids, I love New York!" Kaji hovered the VTOL to a landing at LaGuardia's Marine Air Terminal alongside helicopter traffic and the water shuttle services that dock there. Kaji wired the landing fee directly from NERV's blanket credit account and they showed their NERV IDs to the gate security, allowing them bypass any TSA scrutiny, which didn't stop Kaji from ensuring the TSA guard was embarrassed and put under the spotlight. "But c'mon, buddy, just because I have government ID doesn't mean I don't deserve a pat down and strip search from a man in uniform." Kaji asked, winking and flipping his hair toward the man, leaving the TSA guard sputtering and trying to keep some semblance of dignity.

"Kaji, that was cruel." Shinji argued as they walked away. "He's just trying to do his job."

"His job is identifying terror suspects, not harassing the populace. Anything to make their job harder is worth it. Now, we're in Terminal A, we need to hop on a shuttle bus so we can get to C and the Victory Grill. Misato's not due here for two more hours."

"So she is coming to see us?" Rei asked as they headed to the bus terminal.

"Yeah, but she's doing it with leave time, so she can't get priority transportation like we do. Sucks that she has to fly the standard airlines. Still, _we_ get stuck with the layover time." They eventually made it to the gate Misato's airliner would arrive at. "LaGuardia has free Internet access. You two try checking in."

The two electrified teens agreed and they accepted an address from the public WiFi service. In her mind, Rei looked up an article on human enhancement while Shinji played some music over his infolink. Kaji took out his tablet computer and occasionally checked the broadcast output from Shinji and Rei's biochip.

"Nothing looks odd from Darrow's admin account. This just might work. Now's as good a time as any to tell you that Ritsuko and Kaworu will be mission control for your investigation. NERV has pretty universal intelligence, and they'll be feeding you the latest updates on Dowd's cargo activities."

When Misato's plane landed, the three were waiting close by the gate when the stunning woman emerged amongst the passengers. Gone was the usual jacket and skirt with her identification and campaign achievements; instead she was wearing one of her little black dresses, securing the attention of every male in the room. She spied her fiancée's open arms and darted past him to her essentially-adopted son, wrapping Shinji in her arms while Kaji sheepishly lowered his own and looked around awkwardly. "ShinjiIloveyousomuchImissedyouandyoutooReiI'mgladyou'refeelingbetter!"

"Misato...I'm happy...you're here...too." Shinji gasped out from within the bear hug.

"After you're done making a scene, Misato, we'll get seats at the grill and then we've got to check into the Hilton." Kaji tugged his woman away from Shinji as he tried to catch his breath. They waited at a booth as they ordered their dinners. Kaji ordered an oyster bucket, Misato chose hot wings, Shinji went with mushroom soup, and Rei ate a kale salad. Kaji spoke up from the shell he was cracking. "We rest tonight and fight off the jet lag, then tomorrow the two teenage weapons pig out on Cyberboost bars in the morning and break in to New York Harbor at nightfall."

"Shinji, Rei." Misato answered them. "What we're asking you to do is essentially a criminal action, and I have to break my promise. I wasn't ever going to put you two in danger ever again-"

"We are the best choice to deal with SEELE's violence, Misato." Rei stated. "Captain Illustrious has already proven that, hasn't she?"

"That doesn't mean that I have to like it."

They ate as a family and rode a cab to the Hell's Kitchen district where they checked in to two rooms on the second floor of the aged Hilton hotel. The hotel was getting up in years, but still looked stately and majestic, a testament to the Hilton brand's success.

"You two have your own room, but I don't want to hear any funny sounds coming from it tonight, understand?" Misato gave Shinji and Rei a cutting glare as the quartet went to bed in the evening. Rei took the opportunity to answer her.

"Shinji and I require proper rest before our investigation. It is you and Inspector Kaji who are involved in the active sexual relationship, should we not be concerned with _your_ volume throughout the night?" Misato choked and sputtered on Rei's analysis.

* * *

The next morning, the quartet woke up around 0900 and Misato and Kaji ensured the two augmented teens consumed their prescribed breakfasts.

"We're not sending you two after that boat until 2000 hours. Until then, we've got the whole day to spend in Manhattan. I figure we can visit Central Park until the afternoon and then go to One WTC. The observation platform is now open and they've got a monument to NERV's personnel in their War on Terror museum and memorial."

"If Kaworu is going to be handling our intelligence, what are you two going to be doing?" Shinji spoke up from his morning drink.

"I got Misato and me tickets to go see Jersey Boys at August Wilson Theater. You two are here to work. _We're_ on vacation." Kaji smirked.

Their day went like any happy, normal family of tourists in NYC. They spent their morning watching the Central Park boats and horses, and then bought tickets to the zoo area, where Misato smiled and winked her way into the penguin exhibit during their feeding time, where she proved her expertise over the zookeepers when she helped distribute the fish. She _did_ have a penguin of her own, after all.

They rode the subway to the World Trade Organization's new headquarters, where they took an elevator up the 1776 foot tall building to look out over the cityscape.

"Immediately after the Second Impact, as opposed to the worldwide recovery efforts that should have happened, small territories broke out into armed squabbles everywhere, and UN police actions were placed in places like Burma, Bosnia/Kosovo, and the Iran-Iraq border. As opposed to trying to heal from the damages, rebellion groups from the Middle East and Asia used terror attacks like the Tokyo-2 subway gassing, the original WTO HQ, and the London Bombing. The original Trade Center's destruction led to the US going in to Iraq & Afghanistan while we were creating the Eva Units. When this building opened up last year, they memorialized all the organizations involved with peace efforts, and NERV is right in there with the UN Combined Forces and the member nations' militaries."

Several tourists flocked around Kaji with questions as they overheard his knowledge of the global crises. He eventually rewarded some of the attention with stories of his time in Germany and Russia, clearly outperforming the building's tour guides. "...but, since the wars are cooling and the treaties are being renewed, the UN's closing some of the openings in the Inspector Generals' corps. Let me seriously recommend that anybody interested in these Cold War style spy stories take up work in the private sector; much better chances of a steady paycheck."

The four checked their watches and made their exit: 1600, and they needed to get back to the hotel to have time for Shinji and Rei to prepare for their new job. They rode the subway back to the Hell's Kitchen area and Misato and Kaji cleaned themselves up and dressed for a night of culture, Misato in another of her lovely black dresses and Kaji actually took the time to wear a sportcoat and tie. Shinji and Rei dressed in black cargo pants, _Propper_ brand cooling T-shirts, and jackets that concealed holster pockets for their modified pistols on the inside of their liner. The four emerged together, Shinji and Rei complimenting their well-dressed adult companions. Misato gave them a final pep talk before they left.

"Listen you two, I just want you to know that I'm diametrically opposed to sending you off to sneak around and break into places like a pair of crooks. This was all supposed to _end_. After Lillith it was supposed to be you two being happy teenage kids for once-"

"SEELE's corruption forced our hand, Misato." Rei countered. "Shinji and I also disagree with what we're doing, but we will oppose those who would do harm to any of us."

"She's right, Misato. SEELE is scared to death of us if they wanted to blow me and Rei up, we're not going to let them hurt anybody else."

The cabbie they hailed dropped Misato and Kaji outside August Wilson, and drove on to the New York Harbor offices where Shinji and Rei stepped out.

"What're two kids doing hanging out here?" He said as Shinji paid.

"One of our friends works on a ship. We meet him out here."

"Alright then, call my number for a ride back, we're 24/7!"

The man pulled away and the two teens approached the harbor office building, the odor of the brown Hudson River hanging in the air. "What a unique emulsion of seaweed and Diesel fuel." Rei remarked as they took in the smell. They entered the building and sat down in a visitor's waiting room. A guard in the nearby security office approached them.

"Do you two kids have any business out here? This isn't exactly the mall, you know."

"Stanton Dowd works on one of these boats. He's a friend of ours." Shinji looked up from his seat. He was judging which augmentations would be most advantageous for this scenario, as they wanted to keep as little attention as possible on themselves.

"...I'll see if I can page him and he can meet you out here, but I can't let you travel any farther than this point."

"That is fine, we'll wait." The strangely-haired girl answered him, and wait they did...

...The guard returned and told the pair that Dowd's ship was being inspected by the Coast Guard and Dowd's presence was required on board. They could leave him a message but they would have to leave and return some other day.

Shinji facepalmed and groaned. "We were really hoping to avoid this..." His identification software marked the Vagus nerve in the guard's neck, which he disabled with a strength-enhanced Leopard strike. The guard was knocked to the ground, unconscious.

"Shinji, are we not relying on violence too soon?"

"Yes Rei, we are, but we have to get on Dowd's boat no matter what." He searched the guard's pockets and belt and found a pepper spray gun, a Tazer, and his key to the security office. He looted the items and offered some of it to Rei. "Take the pepper spray, it won't kill anybody. We each have our Zenith, but we shouldn't use them unless the worst happens."

"I agree. If you have his key to the security checkpoint, perhaps we can access the harbor manifest." They laid the guard up on a chair and propped a cushion behind his head. They looked into the guards' office where they saw two more men operating security cameras. Shinji unlocked the door. The two men didn't even turn around to look, figuring that one of the patrol guards had finished a round until the Leopard strikes they felt knocked them out.

"They may only be out for four or five minutes, Rei, so-"

"This shouldn't take long, Shinji." The two computers the guards were using were still logged in to their accounts, so Rei configured them to stream the video output for the facility to NERV's internet address.

* * *

NERV HQ, Tokyo-3

Mari was anxiously looking at a clock on the wall, awaiting some form of contact from Shinji or Rei. "Their little boat ride should've started by now, Kaworu."

"Have faith in them. They are within the normal behavior of any civilian as long as they remain in the entrance of the facility. It's still too early for them to begin their search in earnest, they may not have even arrived at the harbor-" Kaworu was interrupted at his place over a communications terminal at the bridge. A live video feed was pushed to his station, the security recordings of NY Harbor's offices. "Dr. Akagi, they're in. I've got a security layout of the facility...Bringing it up on the monitor wall."

Kaworu mirrored his display to the large video wall at NERV HQ, bringing the output to Ritsuko, Shigeru, Makoto, and the Professor. He opened a radio channel with the encryption software that Dr. Darrow had sent them after Kaji had flown the two newly-activated teens out of Detroit. "Shinji, Rei, do I have contact?"

"Yes, Fifth Child, understood."  
"I can hear you, Kaworu." Their voices filled the bridge.

"AWESOME!" Mari jumped up and down as Ritsuko grabbed her by her ear.

"Shinji, Rei, what's your status?"

"Hi, Ritsuko. We're standing in the security guards' office, Rei just sent you guys a video feed. I've been reading the docking records, if Dowd is in dry dock, that narrows it down to four ships. Can you look his assignment up?"

Kaworu handled this answer. "I have some of his records pulled up, Shinji. He graduated from the US Merchant Marine Academy last year, since then he's been on several of the Dowd-company owned tankers...It seems that his current posting is the Dowd Corporation Ship 'Wall Cloud'. Look for DCS Wall Cloud in the manifest."

"Okay I've got it right here...Dry dock 4...Says it's being refit for chemical storage."

"Then be extremely cautious when you move about the ship. If you die from toxic poisoning...let's not discuss the results."

Shinji and Rei, now armed with the knowledge of Dowd's place of employment, made their way through the offices and out to the docks, seeing the four massive drydocks with one ship in particular, hull painted red and large lettering: 'DCS Wall Cloud', a proud vessel, resting while men of iron prepared her for her voyages of the future. Shinji and Rei stayed at the base of the Cloud's gangplank, zooming their vision to watch a crewman or Coast Guard Inspector occasionally move across the deck.

"Kaworu, access the ships' records and get us a floor plan. We're going to climb the main gangplank. If Dowd is First Mate, he'll either be in the officer's quarters or the wheelhouse..."

"Accessing government records now, Shinji. There are three crew decks above all the cargo space: Crew bunks and a galley, above them is the sickbay and maintainence shop, and at the top flight of stairs are the wheelhouse and officer's cabins. Try to be discreet, please."

"We will, we will..." The pair ascended the gangplank and crouched into a corner at the top. They ducked into the first bunkhouse...the morning crew was asleep while the night crew was out on the job. They tiptoed through the room and up to the first stairwell where they looked around...so far so good. They turned out and into a corridor, two sailors walked by, and the teen trespassers ducked into a nearby room...the electronics lab. Radio and computer components were opened up and in various stages of repair throughout the room. They came face to face with one of the ship's radio operators.

"I've got no idea who you two...kids are. Should I have the Coast Guard guys arrest you?"

"No! We're Stanton's friends and we're trying to surprise him!" Shinji made up on the spot. "Waiting around outside would ruin it, so..."

"Alright, then." He opened an intercom and paged the ship. "First Mate Dowd, you've got somebody to identify in the electronics lab." He turned back to the teens. "We'll wait right here for him." And wait they did...

...A young man with black hair, sideburns, and a beard, not looking particularly older than Shinji and Rei appeared in the doorway with a confused look on his face. "Do I know you guys from somewhere?"

"Not exactly, First Mate Dowd." The strangely-haired girl answered. "But we seriously need to talk to you."

The boy standing beside her gave a cryptic inquiry. "If I said 'Illuminati', would you say 'Family Business'?"

The young man glared. He hated his father's affiliations and wanted nothing to do with them. "What do you want?"

"To talk to you."

"Only talk, nothing else? Sorry if I don't believe that."

"It's important that we do."

"We'll need to do this somewhere else. You two follow me." He took them to the cramped First Mate's stateroom. It was small, but his position got him his own room to live in. Still, he was looking forward to one day living in the spacious Captain's Quarters. "What's this about?"

"Do you watch Picus news?"

"_No_. It's propaganda. When you're raised like I was, you're taught to spot that really fast."

"We were survivors of a murder attempt from people affiliated with a group called 'SEELE'. They have business ties to Illuminati members. A friend of ours, who researches shadow groups like SEELE and the Illuminati led us to you."

"...Yes. The Dowd family has taken part in the stupid rituals for years. Cloaks and robes, candles, standing in a circle and chanting in Latin, the whole stupid shebang, and I hate it...How the hell do I even know you're not just bullshitting me?"

Shinji turned around and lifted his shirt, showing the scar tissue across his back.

"_Holy Shit_. What happened, kid?"

"Our subway train was bombed. We were given extensive emergency surgery. Since there are certain people who think we're dead, we decided to use the opportunity to give them some feedback."

"But you're even younger than I am!"

"Age is no indicator of ability. I am Rei. This is Shinji. We represent NERV."

"NERV? The guys that did the asteroid cleanup?"

"We do a whole lot more that that, Stanton, but we still exist to make the world a better place." Shinji answered. "Still, there are people that hate us for it..." They showed him their NERV ID's.

"Alright I believe you, but I'm not the person to talk to. My dad is kind of paranoid, you see, so I'll have to set up a meeting for you." He made a cell phone call. "...be at Trinity Church tomorrow at 10 AM. Do not be early or late or he won't talk to you. Believe me, he's crazy about stuff like this..."

* * *

A/N: To be continued...


	7. Trinity Church

Chapter 7: Trinity Church

* * *

You're just too good to be true  
Can't take my eyes off of you  
You'd be like heaven to touch  
I wanna hold you so much

* * *

Misato's expression changed from one of enjoyment to a hardened glare at Kaji. She spoke up from the current scene in the theater.

"We shouldn't be here. They could be getting-"

"Misato, if now is when you decide to start worrying about Shinji and Rei, you're about 18 months too late. You never acted like this when they were fighting towering alien beasts."

"That's because I was always watching them!" She snapped, getting frustrated stares from the audience around her.

"Misato, Shinji and Rei are experienced soldiers because of _your_ actions. After they sat in that cockpit for the first time, there was no going back. Their innocence died and those children became adults. This is the logical conclusion to that path. They're operating on their own, but they're not going to be in danger, I've seen that first-hand. They're now capable of seeing outside the human spectrum; they have infrared and ultraviolet vision. They can hear and smell as well as a bloodhound. Their brain is assisted by a billion-node computer network, and they're both stronger than some of our career security agents; all thanks to experimental biology. I trust them to dig up the information we need, you should too."

* * *

I love you baby, and if it's quite all right  
I need you baby; to warm my lonely night.  
I love you baby...

* * *

"So then...is that it?" Shinji asked the young shipmate.

"Until tomorrow, yeah...There's really not enough that I'm involved in to tell you anything useful."

"And your father will be accommodating?" Rei asked him.

"He's paranoid, but he's not an ass. He'll help you guys out, and I can guarantee that he wouldn't hire anybody to kill two kids..."

"Then I guess we should go ahead and get out of here."

"Don't worry about getting noticed. If somebody asks you, tell them I was hosting you."

Shinji and Rei didn't need to slither out of the docks this time, so they walked their way back to the harbor parking lot where they called their cabbie, just now realizing they'd need to use a pay phone.

"Hey Rei, my cell was destroyed on the train...do you still have yours?"

"No, I don't. Our radio uplink does not connect to cellular towers, either."

"Then we'd better get used to carrying change. What do you have on you?"

"Probably exactly what you're carrying. My NERV ID, Sarif ID, firearm, stolen pepper gun and tazer, and a few American bills."

"Yeah, that's what I have...you know, this was our first assignment, right?"

"Yes."

"We didn't kill or really even hurt anybody. Sure, we had to whack those guys on the side of the head, but they ought to be fine by now."

"Our purpose here is not yet complete, Shinji. Perhaps Mr. Dowd will not be as accommodating as his son predicted."

"That's pessimistic for you, Rei."

"We are operating outside of the law now, Shinij. We must prepare for the consequences of our actions, and Mr. Dowd is a wealthy and powerful individual. That is but one of their ships, and we have not researched their railroad and aviation influence."

Their self-reflection ended when their ride pulled up to the curb. They pulled away from the harbor, with no real trail behind them, only three guards' testimony that they were knocked out by two anonymous teenagers...

* * *

Kaji and his fiancée found Shinji and Rei idly sitting on a couch together when they returned from the theater. It didn't take long for Misato to revert to being an overprotective guardian...

"Omygod you two are safe! How did it go? Did you have to kill him-"

"We are not finished, Misato. We need to appear at Trinity Church tomorrow morning. Mr. James Dowd is Stanton's father, and he is our connection...According to his son, he's also rather eccentric."

She furrowed her brow at Rei's answer. "Then we're coming, too. Right, Kaji?"

He sighed and rubbed his eyebrows. "Misato, for the head of a special operations division, you still don't understand covert operations. We can go as far as the entrance to the church and _maybe_ sneak in the back of the sanctuary, but if this guy sees four people ganging up on him, he'll take it as an attack. Quit smothering Shinji. He and Rei will handle whatever happens."

"Quit smothering him?! It was me _not_ smothering him that got him nearly killed!"

"Misato." Shinji interrupted the hysterical woman. "Me being in danger hasn't ever been your fault. I hated being an Eva Pilot, sure, but what would've happened if I quit? Is it your fault that I was sitting on that train? Is it your fault that SEELE consists of heartless bastards?"

"It IS my fault that you're involved in this at all! I could've just as easily refused to drag you into all this hell when it began!"

Rei looked away from Misato and Shinji's current argument. "Inspector Kaji, did you enjoy the theater?"

"Misato's constant worrying kind of held it back...She never really acted like...this" He limply waved over to Misato's inelegant bickering "...until after Gendo was taken care of. Before all that, she was perfectly okay seeing you launch out to your deaths." He dragged Misato away from Shinji and turned in for the night.

* * *

"Ready for our second day of work, Rei?" Shinji said as they finished their now-routine breakfast.

"Of course I am; fighting to prevent SEELE from dominating the world is why I was created. Are you ready, Shinji."

"...I don't know...Misato's so messed up about all this..."

"As is her inalienable right, Shinji. We only see our need to succeed in our tasks. Misato sees our current condition as a reflection of her failure to protect us."

"Misato didn't fail-"

"She promised us a normal life after Lillith died, and she considers everything that has happened to be a failure to keep that promise." She checked the time. "We need to leave for the Church, if Misato and Inspector Kaji are still in bed, we won't have time to wait for them."

* * *

They hailed a cab at the hotel's curbside and left for the historic place of worship. They arrived at the church's steps to be greeted by the Bishop. They'd been expecting them.

"You two young things are here to speak with one of the church Elders. We're very proud to call the Dowd family our own...they've given so much to the people over their time. Just walk into our sanctuary and he'll meet you there."

They obeyed the old fellow and entered the sanctuary, looking forwards to the chior box and massive stained-glass mural of Christ and his Disciples.

They saw the old man, sitting alone at the very first pew under the pulpit. He was a chubby fellow wearing a leather trenchcoat and a full, greying beard. He was looking directly towards the pulpit, though he heard their entry.

"Mr. James Dowd?" They quietly approached him.

He spoke, still looking directly forwards. "Would you believe that I once sat in this pew beside the heirs to the Rockefeller and Rothschild fortunes? Compared to them, the Dowds are young money...My grandfather started out buying small fishing boats before moving onto heavy cargo ships, and he even swindled the Vanderbilts for control of much of the railroad traffic on the East Coast. My father secured dominating shares of various air freight carriers, so the modern Dowds have a near-monopoly on all three methods of transportation. Even when we were at our most unfriendly competition, the old, wealthy families met at houses much like this one to pray for the stability of the financial world...Trinity Church, the Paris Cathedral, the Church of England...When Christ wrote that the love of money was the root of all evil, he didn't give his opinion of those who exist to protect it."

"Basing a system of belief around the defense of greed hardly seems to be a goal worthy of reverence." Rei countered. It seemed to the pair that this man would be a talker.

"We do not exist to defend greed, we exist to contain poverty...We may be forced to allow individuals to go without basic needs or wants, but we have never failed to ensure the livelihood of those nations crucial to the stability of the world...In 1929, when the US stock market crashed, the individuals making up the unenlightened masses panicked and reacted, rather than responding with intelligence. Individuals pulled their entire estates from their banks and stuffed their money into mattresses. Had they simply done nothing, there would have been no Great Depression, as the currency supply would still be traveling between the financial centers, even as businesses closed and houses went empty. In 2008, Greece went bankrupt _from within_, but it was kept alive by the EU. Back here in the States, insecure housing loans and allowances made mandatory by 'compassionate' individuals in government failed and went unpaid en masse, forcing loan and mortgage holders into bankruptcy and resulting in foreclosures by the _millions_...Let me ask you, is it better to work for happiness and want, or stability and need? Every living person wishes for prosperity, but whose responsibility is it to give it to them? The individual exists to collect wealth, but the group, the _ideal_ exists to prevent poverty. As soon as the individual is of the means to succeed without the group, then they become responsible for themselves. So again I ask, what is a better topic to pray for than stability? Should I pray for everybody to become a millionaire? If that were to be the result, then people would line up at gold-plated soup kitchens."

"Forgive me for being critical, but why make a statement on prayer to an individual who may not share your faith?"

"Because my faith and the actions you have performed almost perfectly coincide. I pray to the creator of the world. You defended him from a race of beings intent on destroying it and rebuilding it in their own image. I believe we were all saved from destruction by the son of the creator, and you watched him as he prevented the apocalypse, didn't you? Indeed, you're feeding this conversation to him right now, aren't you, Miss Ayanami?" He turned to look at her.

Shinji looked terrified, Rei showed mild fear, and around the world in NERV's command bridge, late at night, Kaworu and Mari dropped their headphones and gasped.

"How do you know who I am?"

"Paranoia is a drug, my dear. It can become addictive. Take off your sunglasses, let me confirm it for myself."

Shinji looked at Rei. She answered the question he didn't ask. "Yes, Shinji, we should do it, it appears he already knows..."

Their glasses came off, and James looked at the glowing electronics inside their eyes. "Let me ask you, would you have wanted what has been done to you? There are some people who would crawl all over themselves to become a superhuman agent like you are. Even before now, did either of you have any desire to fight against the Precursors? Yes, I also know about the cyborg machines the two of you used to defend the planet. Most of the Illuminati do."

Shinji didn't hesitate. "You're right: I never asked for this. But I'm not going to pretend that being an Eva pilot didn't make my life better after it was all over, and I'm not going to pretend that the things Mr. Sarif did to save my life won't help me get back at the people who attacked us."

"Very good. That's the answer I was hoping to hear. There are individuals who would curse God for what you've been through if they were in your place, and there are those who crave adventure and heroics, but don't ever consider the price they would pay to experience it."

"Mr. Dowd," Rei began. "Only a few militaries and governments outside of Japan know the extent of the Evangelion Program...You are a member of neither-"

"To answer the question you're about to ask...Paranoia is a drug, again, and all the government and forces of the world are addicts. NERV spies on SEELE and the UN, SEELE spies on NERV and its leadership -as a certain young man's late father would have been the only one capable of subverting their plans- while the UN spies on all its member nations."

"And which are you a member of?"

"The Illuminati spies on _everybody_, constantly."

"And you believe that all the other organizations do not spy on you?"

"Yes, because the Illuminati is not so much an organization as it is an Idea: Instrumentalizing wisdom into the tools that will guide civilization...The compass and square edge, masonry's tools; the sword and Cross, the icons of the Templars...The Illuminati is not an organization, but it does regularly give birth to them. The Templars formed after they freed Solomon's fortune from the Muslim-held Jerusalem in the First and Fourth Crusade. The original Masons were French, German and English craftsmen that used their knowledge of architecture and mechanics to create the infrastructure that allowed them to build not only facilities, but implements of progress. An agrarian gatherer saw a fortress rise from the ground and, instead of learning the trade, worshiped the craftsman as a wizard. The Freemasons brought the European Masons' skill for craftsmanship and subterfuge to America, where the great minds of our history threw down the first empire to cover the entirety of the planet...Now, SEELE is only the latest to be birthed from the Enlightened Ones, this time voluntarily created by the United Nations, an organization that only has power from its ability to file documents and record names. Tell me, does SEELE or the United Nations fight for 'world peace'? No, NERV and the Combined Forces do. If the Combined Forces were to disband and return to their mother countries, what power to enforce resolution would the United Nations have? Without NERV or various corporate interests, what power would SEELE have?"

"SEELE has the power to create their own Instrumentality, or to murder those who stopped them from completing it."

"Really? Was it the 'SEELE army' that attacked you?"

"No, the son of ADAM -as you referred to him- identified them as Belltower Private Security forces."

"And who pulls Belltower's strings?"

"Mr. Sarif said Tai-Yong Medical did."

"Why would a substandard medical device company attack two retired robot pilots?"

"Because they have ties to SEELE."

"And did a colleague of yours not just eliminate one of the leadership very recently?"

"Yes, but she was already familiar with him...he was the only real lead we had, we came to you after Kaworu managed to link SEELE and the Illuminati together."

"And SEELE and the Illuminati were linked because SEELE grew out from the members that weren't content with guiding the human race to prosperity, no, they sought to make themselves gods, and you stopped them. They used their wealth and influence to get the UN to create SEELE and authorize it to oversee NERV: Keel Lorenz, German intellectual with more money than he knows what to do with, his time in the German Bundestag is what got him into the UN; Lucius DeBeers, House of Lords, he's currently a vegetable. Congratulate your friend for that.; Zhao Yun Ru, Chinese chairwoman of Tai-Yong Medical, she's a bootlicker and a fraud. She uses others' success to come to her own power. Tai-Yong was her father's company, but he's senile and close to death, she took over through her family's controlling stock and succeeds by paying off the Chinese government to ignore crimes and trust violations, all the way up to using Belltower as her private assassins; Bob Page -unlike Zhao- he brought Page Industries to success through innovation and quality. Their mechanics and electronics division create mass-producible cyber and robotic and weapons, such as their Bravo and Delta Peacebringer combat robots, while Versalife's pharmaceuticals are some of the most effective drugs ever synthesized."

"Then you know the names of the SEELE Units."

"I told you what I do know, but that's everything I can offer you."

"Then I suppose we owe you gratitude." Rei stated.

"Pay it forward by stopping SEELE's stupidity again, you've already done it once."

"We plan on it. May God grant everyone 'stability'."

* * *

The pair took their leave. They called a cab and rode back to the Hilton where Kaji and Misato had already packed.

"You won't believe what we learned."

"It must be good, you two didn't bother to wait for us this morning." Kaji complained.

"You were still asleep at 0930." Rei countered. "We were not going to jeopardize our chances to acquire this intelligence."

"And what intelligence was that?"

"James Dowd confirmed that Keel Lorenz, Lucius DeBeers, Zhao Yun Ru, and Bob Page are SEELE representatives, formed when they gathered together amidst the belief that the Illuminati is too benevolent."

Misato contemplated for a moment. "So...SEELE is the result of the idea that the Illuminati, THE ILLUMINATI, _isn't_ far fetched enough? Am I the last sane woman on the planet!?"

"No, Misato." Kaji snaked an arm around her waist. "You are most definitely _not_ a sane woman. We need to get back to our postings before we make any further decisions. You two get packed fast, Misato's flight is a mid-afternoon takeoff, and it's the early afternoon right now..."

They rode to LaGuardia, waved to Misato as she boarded her airliner, and made their way back to the helibase.

"I don't know what got into her." Kaji mused as they approached their VTOL, sitting static on the pad they arrived at. "She was just supposed to come check up on you two and we'd spend some vacation time together, but she turned into a nervous wreck."

"She refuses to accept our condition, regardless of our recovery."

"She just needs to trust you guys to succeed..."

* * *

24 hours later, in a conference between a Detroit apartment and the GeoFront...

"And why shouldn't we consider the Illuminati a threat?"

"Because, based on our findings, the existence of the Illuminati is simply a glorified attempt to maintain the status quo." Rei handled the debrief to Ritsuko. "SEELE _did_ have ties to the Illuminati, but they severed them on their own accord."

"And what of the Illuminati's espionage activities?"

"What of NERV's? What of the UN's or SEELE's? We should certainly be concerned, but they are not the opponent we should focus our attacks on, at least in the near-future. James Dowd, the Illuminatus we approached, was aware of the SEELE separatists. They created SEELE by manipulating the United Nations, and the identities matched what we already know. Kaworu should have already compiled the updated intelligence."

"Indeed I did, Rei." Kaworu's face appeared on the videoconference monitor. "I'll publish my findings now."

A database document appeared on the monitors logged in to the conference.

_SEELE-01: Lorenz, Germany. ALIVE_  
_SEELE-02: Page, American. ALIVE_  
_SEELE-03: UNKNOWN. UNKNOWN_  
_SEELE-04: DeBeers, England. COMATOSE_  
_SEELE-05: Yun Ru, China. ALIVE_

Ritsuko read the file, going through the names. "Wait...Page? PAGE! THAT SON OF A BITCH! FUCK! FU-"

"Ritsuko, what's wrong!?" Mari grabbed they hysterical woman by the collar and shook her out of her daze. Shinji, Rei, and Kaji stared at the television they were watching, dumbfounded by Ritsuko's breakdown.

"Get the Professor down here! This is a disaster! Page Industries is at Area 51 right this instant! They're the ones responsible for cleaning up the Unit-04 explosion! They have complete diplomatic immunity! We can't touch them! And for that matter, we still don't know who SEELE-03 is!"

A new voice entered the conference, playing over NERV's loudspeakers and repeating to Shinji and Rei's apartment. There was no video stream. "God, Ritsuko, have you completely lost it? You sound even more screwed up than Misato."

"WHO'S THAT!?" The stressed-out blonde shouted to the air around her.

"Okay...you really have gone nucking futs, you're supposed to be the level-headed one."

"It's hard to be level-headed when you're getting played like a violin! Fuyutsuki and I approved the Page Industries contract! And now we've been made out as fools because of it! Even God won't know what they're building at that place behind our backs!"

"Well then, it's good to know I can help you out with SEELE-03."

"How the hell do you know who it is!?"

"Come to Paris...I'll show you."

Ritsuko furrowed her eyebrows, she didn't like talking to ghosts. "Who the hell are you?"

The voice giggled a bit. "Call me...Scarlet."

* * *

A/N: So many conspiracies, so little time! And who's in Paris? Please Review!


	8. Ballin

Chapter 8: Ballin

* * *

Broadcast to specialized conference holodecks around the world...

SEELE-03 SOUND ONLY: "I believe we all see the result of SEELE's declaration of war against NERV. His Lordship's 'young female associate' kicked in the front door of his house. Are you going to retaliate, Chairman?"

SEELE-01 SOUND ONLY: "For the time being, we are going to focus on Tai-Yong Medical's S2 Miniaturization. We are unable to destroy the Evangelion Units until we can penetrate their AT Field, and our history has shown that an assault from automated Evangelions will fail. The female that assaulted the Englishman is under Nagisa's protection, and he is in full control of his power; he can only be matched by a human carrying the power of Adam."

SEELE-02 SOUND ONLY: "Chairman, you're lying in wait while NERV plots to destroy you."

SEELE-01 SOUND ONLY: "'Lying in wait' has caused far more damage to NERV than a military invasion ever did. We inserted our agent into NERV, Nagisa was only spared due to his divinity, a problem we will soon overcome. The First and Third were mutilated, and the Second was eliminated quietly-"

SEELE-03 SOUND ONLY: "That is untrue, now. Somebody high up in the World Health Organization has taken an interest in the Second. She is receiving lifesaving treatment under the WHO's oversight...Somebody is protecting her, and I know that it is not her family, as they had splintered before her transfer to Japan."

SEELE-02 SOUND ONLY: "Exactly, Chairman. You see the result of relying on contract holders and mercenaries to perform our work. We require loyalty and commitment in our subordinates to ensure that our enemies do not survive, as these Children seem to be doing..."

SEELE-01 SOUND ONLY: "So you want to use the American Cowboy solution and send your guns in shooting everything that moves, is that right?"

SEELE-02 SOUND ONLY: "No, it is time for a Changing of the Guard. We shape and direct our own assets into loyal forces who do not leave the job half-done. Tai-Yong's relationship with Belltower is an example of how (not) to succeed. Compare Page Industries' local security. Troops given military-equivalent training, performance-enhancing and pain endurance drugs, and behavior and loyalty conditioning. Bob Page's security forces are willing to fight to die for him."

SEELE-05 SOUND ONLY: "Well then, you see about getting his expertise, in the meantime, _we_ will focus on the construction of the S2 miniature."

* * *

In Detroit, Michigan...

"So let me get this straight...we get an anonymous voice logged in during a- SECURE -conference, Said voice then cryptically orders us to go to Paris, so that the voice can 'show you' SEELE-03.

You know what? This doesn't look like a trap at all." Misato's portrait spoke in disbelief, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Yeah, but we were all there when the message came, and Dr. Akagi won't clear us to go to China or Nevada yet, so-"

"Shinji, what happened to the cautious- no, _timid-_ boy that moved in with me? Why on earth are you chomping at the bit to go launch into another confrontation?"

"He got pissed off at the people who hurt his girlfriend. Paris is the only lead we have, we need to follow it." Shinji answered her.

"Do you remember the last time you jumped into a fight without any intel?"

"Let's see...was that the Eleventh Angel, the Twelfth, or the Thirteenth? I lost count."

Misato dropped her head to her desk. "One of these days, you two, you're going to get yourself into a fight you can't handle, and those electric eyes of yours aren't going to save you-"

Misato cut out and David Sarif appeared on the television.

"YOU TWO! Get to the roof of the building, RIGHT NOW. You're getting flown to Derelict Row!"

"What's going on?!"

"The Ballers just shot up an armored car carrying Neuropazyne. The Motor City Bangers, the rival gang out here, have a bunch of Neurop users, and they see this as an easy score...You two get a _real_ initiation out of it."

"Don't tell me-"

"You're going to get the drug shipments out from under the Ballers' nose before the Bangers do. We're going to fly you in and fastrope you down into the gang territory...I don't need to tell you that this is the kind of place the police don't approach on the beat."

"David, I really hate you right now."

* * *

They rode the elevator up to the Chiron Building's helipad and were ushered into the waiting company VTOL. They hovered out to the slums of the city, where they approached the condemned and abandoned warehouse the gang used as their hideout. The side door of the craft opened and two climbing ropes were lowered to ground level. Shinji looked at Rei beside him.

"We are not new to violence, Shinji. There would be nothing to gain from refusing this assignment." She wove the rope through her arms and slid down it.

He rolled his eyes and followed her. "Just because we do the job doesn't mean I have to enjoy it."

Their radios spoke up, Misato just patched herself in. "You cut me off! What's the deal?! I'm trying to be the responsible one, here!"

Shinji and Rei hunkered down behind an air conditioning vent and backtalked her.

"Misato, hush!" Shinji whispered.

"There's been an emergency. We had to go." Rei explained. "Keep this channel clear."

"Well I think I have a right to be in the loop about you two!"

"Fine, Misato, just shut up! We're going after stolen prosthetics drugs. We're in a gang hideout, trying not to be heard, while you talk our heads off!"

"GANG TERRITORY!? You two are-"

"Seriously, some women just can't shut their mouths. Some of Asuka must've rubbed off on her." Kaji overrode Misato's connection. "I'm in Sarif's security office right now. Nice place, great view of the lobby, you can see everything. I've got you two on the VTOL's video feed and the bird's at minimum safe distance. The site's got plenty of hallways, landings, and storage rooms, so the stash could be anywhere...The good news is the Ballers are the poorer of the two gangs and they only- so far -have handguns and weak personal automatic weapons...The bad news is they've got great outreach and they pick up new scum every day...Try to keep the body count to a minimum, but Sarif gave you those silencers for a reason."

The radio cut and the electrically enhanced, teenage war vets crept to the building's rooftop fire escape and peered down...no guards...something was up.

"Inspector Kaji," Rei started, "there appears to be little resistance. Are we in the proper area?"

"Yes. We roped you down so the jet noise wouldn't make too many ears perk up...This is actually pretty standard...lots of bodies at the turf border, everybody else is inside their apartments, probably falling down drunk...it might make getting out difficult, but if it's quiet now, make your move as fast as you can."

They climbed down to the fire ladder's top landing and looked in on the building's escape windows. The Ballers' red diamond logo was graffitied on the walls and there were forties strewn about the floor. Rei shrugged and opened the window...The sound of a basketball game on television bled through the new entry.

"There's activity, after all. Two options: Continue down or enter here."

"How do we want to do this, Rei?"

"We aren't here to slaughter. Read your biogeneration. We should both have an equal reservoir." Rei turned her eyes up and to the left, bringing her vital sign report into view. "Yes. I am ready."

"Me too...that gives me an idea." Shinji set his retinal modification to view infrared outlines. "...Three in the nearest room. The TV is giving off some interference...one, maybe two asleep a couple of rooms down-...Oh. _Not_ asleep. I'll bet she's cheap...One taking a leak...Occasionally a big cold spot appears and vanishes. Ring any bells?"

"A refrigerator. It must be a dining room. See any human outlines?"

"Just the one that melds with the cold spot...I'm sure there are more."

"Let's enter. Silence your movement." She climbed through the window, drew her handgun, and pointed to it. "Only if they initiate force." Inside Sarif HQ, Kaji confirmed that they were in.

They stayed low and Rei motioned to Shinji to lean into the doorway and look. Three street punks, dressed in long white shirts and red headrags, were watching some basketball and chugging beer on a couple of couches. They slipped past and reached the next door.

"Rei, walk past the door and look out...I'm going to create a problem." Shinji's face morphed into a demented smirk as he got the door to the seedy bunkroom open and he spied the thug and his ho, her dressed in cheap lingerie and heels. He raised his Taser and fired, stabbing the thug in the back, the voltage causing him to collapse on top of the now-terrified and hysterical girl. Shinji withdrew the needles and sprinted to Rei, grabbing her hand and pulling her off to a shadowy corner where they watched the results of his handiwork. The three sports punks heard her screaming and ran into the room to see the terrified tramp and the unconscious brother on top of her.

"Dude! Broseph can't even last, like, four minutes!"  
"Yeah, he's never going to live this one down!"  
"Shit, bro, she knocked his ass _out_!"

"That excitement should keep anybody from noticing us up here." The augmented teen infiltrators moved from their corner towards the refrigerator's signature. They peered into the unclean kitchen area to see a bro occasionally come by to open the fridge and take a forty.

"That is still not as much alcohol as Colonel Katsuragi consumes."

"No...it isn't..." He motioned towards the nearby stairwell. They made their way down to the third floor. They peered out...This was a landing above a large factory floor, the open air area to their right and abandoned offices and restrooms on their left. "Stay low." He entered one office, several mattresses were laid out, but it was empty. "Looks like sleeping areas for the lower-ranking guys...these ones don't have that many belongings yet. The next one looks the same." He nudged one restroom door open and gagged at the smell. Several of the toilets were overflowing and full of...well, yeah. = How the hell can these assholes live like this? = The sight and smell caused his surroundings to truly come to light. = Rei and I...We're living, walking weapons now, just like the Evas...My god, they expect us to stop a gang war! =

He turned to Rei, his face was pale.

"Yes, Shinji, I agree. The smell is horrendous, and I used to think that the recycled LCL at the dummy plug laboratory was the most pungent odor I would encounter."

He snapped out of his thoughts and they peered over the landing's walkway wall, down to the factory floor...there were armed Ballers throughout the facility, most with factory-standard handguns, though some carried TMP-18 automatics. Rei offered her professional opinion.

"The TMP-18 offers high rate of fire with wide spread. Accuracy is sacrificed in exchange for simply flooding the area with fire...If they start shooting, there will be too much lead in the air to dodge...The handgun users don't offer much of a threat."

She nudged him towards the staircase and they stepped down to the second floor. Several similar offices were here, but the doors were closed and locked.

"Rei, can you pick these?"

"Yes, Shinji." She slid her NERV ID into the door crack to manipulate the slide. "But I don't need to." They came upon an office with an intact desk, chair, a laptop showing pornography as a screensaver, and various liquor brands stored on cabinets and bookshelves. "This office must be claimed by the gang boss." She removed the battery from the computer, it cut out, and Rei picked it up to carry it out with her. "The Detroit Police Department may take interest in their files, and those pictures were degrading."

They left the room and shut the door, and Rei used the card trick on the next office. They silently entered...and hit the jackpot. They just found the gang's armory! Pistols and full magazines lined one wall, shotguns and TMP's lined the next, and the desk, home to one sleeping Baller, showed the collection of various knives the gangbangers used, and Shinji spied his trophy for their little excursion. A Chinese Jian sword was hung on the ceiling behind the sleeping armory guard.

"This'll be far too easy..." He crept behind the guard, slipped an arm around his nose and mouth and another around his neck. = Cover any respiratory orifices, and...constrict... = He squeezed, the guard awoke, struggled for several minutes, and fell slack. = Perk up, 'brotha', you're not going to die. You just need some sleep... = He took the sword, drew it from its scabbard, and found that it was in acceptable condition. "Rei, this probably belonged to the Boss, too."

She picked up a knife and its sheath from the assortment. "Yes, now let's get out of here. We still haven't found the Neurop cases-"

"YO! GUNZ! I'm out, man! I need new mags, like, now-...Who da fuck are you? You two little shits like, what, 13?"

"Physically, 15. Mentally, we're a lot older than you are." Shinji and Rei drew their firearms. "You're going to be quiet, or these 10's are going to _make_ you quiet. Where's the Neurop?"

"The Bangerz shit? Listen, kid, I don't know. I don't make decisions around here...But, what are we going to do about this little fuckup? You ain't got the balls to shoot me and I ain't moving."

"If you shout, or even raise your voice, your head explodes."

"All right." The arrogant Baller answered. "HEY-" * BANG *

The suppressed shot didn't carry beyond the confines of the armory. Bits of the Baller's skull splintered into the door behind him.

"Shinji," Rei began. "Does this scenario imply 'killing in cold blood'?"

"He was threatening us and stopping us from moving on...There's probably a better way to do it, but shooting him came across as the best way to get out of this room."

"You and I have killed Angels, but we have not killed our fellow man...until now."

"...I know, Rei...But, I learned at NERV's shooting range -from Aoba, actually- that 'shoot to injure' rarely works. Either the bullet doesn't do enough damage to really hurt the target, or it kills it anyway." Shinji slowly entered the hallway, Rei behind him...too late.

"HEY, FUCKHEAD! WHAT'S TAKING YOU SO LONG, CABRON?! GET YOU SOME AMMO AND GET BACK DOWN HERE-" The one doing the shouting, clearly the one in charge, as the other Ballers were gathered around him, saw the two teens on the landing. "SHIT WE GOT A BREAKIN! WASTE THOSE NACOS!" The gang boss ordered his brothas. They pulled their guns and peppered the walls while Shinji and Rei dove to the floor and began crawling prone to the stairway landing. They arrived and rose to one knee, taking point and waiting for the crowd of Ballers to get choked in the tight quarters of the staircase...

One head appeared, then another, and another. "Rei, stagger our shooting!" Shinji began firing, until half of his 13-round magazine was expended. Rei opened fire at that point, ensuring that one shooter would be on target even if the other was reloading.

One head fell, then another, and another. "Don't these idiots know not to crowd in choke points like this?"

"They are (not) soldiers, Shinij." * BANG * "They are acclimated to fighting on the flat Detroit streets." * BANG * "They've clearly never repelled an invasion, before."

It only took a few small piles of dead bodies for the gang boss to see that they were outclassed.

"ALRIGHT! FUCK, STOP IT, STOP IT!" He appeared at the front of the crowd, holding his TMP above his head, the still-living half of the gang behind him. "What do you two psicópatas want?!"

"The Neurop." Rei answered, their laser pointers tuned to his head.

"Hanzers. I shoulda known. Look, senorita, we don't like augs, and we're not gonna give up the Neurop just because there's a gun to my head."

Shinji half-reasoned, half-taunted him. "We'll try the nice route: If you don't give it to us, the MCB's are going to bust in any minute now. You don't want to pick a fight with them, do you?"

"Fuck you!"

"My partner's body and my own function at a much higher level than yours. If you make a move for your weapon, we will sense it and fire. We're carrying 200 armor-piercing cartridges. We can finish every single one of you."

"As you can see, she's the bad cop. I suggest you listen to her."

Some intellectual spotlight amongst the crowd jumped out in front with this to say. "Why we listening to these freaks?! I say we kill em!" He ran out to in front of the boss and drew his pistol and knife, only to receive a bullet in his head for the trouble.

"Any further negotiation?" Rei asked as she inserted a full magazine.

"Alright, alright. Shit. Just let us go back to our own thing...You two canners plan to kill all of us if I don't give you the stash, don't you?"

"Actually, we hoped to kill no one, but when you started shooting, we felt it best to respond."

"Look. Just go outside, there's a bombed-out shed with no floor, just a hole in the dirt. That's our stash, the stuff's there. Just leave."

"Very well. If the location is fake, we'll come back and finish the job."

"Yeah, yeah, I know you will, that's why I didn't lie...pendejos."

* * *

"Huh...he was telling the truth." Shinij stated in surprise as he lifted the sealed and locked crate from the depression in the ground. He waddled as he carried the awkward weight. The street heading out from the warehouse was littered with junked cars and trash barrels. They came up behind the two shotgun-toting thugs near the entrance to civilized Detroit, who were standing around, smoking and otherwise not paying attention.

"Allow me, Shinji." She silently stepped behind one of the two, Tazed him, and pepper-sprayed the other as he whipped around to see the pair carrying their stolen goods.

They continued to a bus stop slightly down the outskirts roadway they were on, where Kaji checked in with them.

"So...what exactly went down in there?" His voice entered their heads.

"Some punk followed us into the Baller's armory and decided to act tough. We were spotted afterwards and...well the shootout ended after the gang leader realized they were going to lose."

"Remember what I said about 'minimum body count'?"

"That's why we reached a gentlemen's agreement."

"Right...there's a ride coming for you...just hold tight there."

Eventually, a police convoy and several Sarif vehicles stopped at the shelter. David approached them, being guarded by several of his security staff.

"Sorry about throwing you two out here, but with your enhancements configured the way they are, you were the best choice to get the Neurop back without _too_ much collateral damage...Some of the mechanical guys you saw during your training would have shown up with their metal arms and just started punching down walls and throwing dumpsters at people...I needed a more subtle touch. For your efforts, I'm having a 2500 credit reward wired to your NERV acounts."

"What happens to the Neurop now?"

"The amputees who need their shots this week will get them."

Rei turned to the police presence who were making a perimeter around the hideout entrance. "Who is the Officer in Responsible Charge, today?"

"I would be." A slim SWAT commander with a goatee growled out. "Sergeant Jensen. Need anything, kid?"

"I recovered this when we found the Neuropazyne." She handed the computer to Jensen. "I'd say that the Ballers are guilty of a few cybercrimes, not limited to possession of pedophilic pornography."

"...Right...If this is legitimate, we'll be back here to discuss it with them later...Aren't you two kind of young to be private investigators?"

"Yes, but our augmentations are best-fitted to the assignment. We used them to our best ability to avoid collateral."

* * *

After they'd returned to Sarif's headquarters, he had them report to Darrow's office where another reward was waiting for them.

"These look...good." Shinji felt the leather trenchcoat he'd been given.

"And your sizes match. For both of you, the shoes are made with extra-soft soles, quieting your steps even further. The coat can be worn over a ballistic vest without being distorted or stretched, so you can conceal your protection. Rei, both pieces of your outfit has been woven from a specialized bullet-resistant fabric. It's designed to inhibit anything under a rifle round without the need of a vest _and_ won't inhibit your movement."

Rei stepped into a restroom to change into the long-sleeved minidress and leggings...it was a heavy outfit, and she could feel the density and tightness of the fabric, but Darrow was right. It was small-caliber resistant, and combine the armor with the internal medical augmentations both of them had, they could take a lot of injury and keep fighting.

* * *

A/N: For the clothing, I decided on JC from DX1 for Shinji and (female)Alex Denton from DX2 for Rei.


	9. We Don't Dance

Answers: Nurse Vodka: Don't worry. Being confusing is standard stuff, here. Just so you know, Deus Ex is the _only_ thing more paranoid and confusing than Evangelion...  
iayaoyas (did i spell that right?): I answered your comment with a PM, but again, thanks for that awesome review!

* * *

Chapter 9: We Don't Dance

* * *

Shinji and Rei found themselves standing inside two chambers inside Sarif's augmentation research laboratories. They stood on a central platform housed by a large backbone tower that branched into three semicircular ribs, stacked one atop the others. Bright lights shone from the arms and lit every square inch of their teenage frames.

"Hey Doc, why are we standing in what looks like a radiation chamber?"

"This is a nanorecorder. It's going to download the footage from your last engagement directly from the nanites' databanks."

Shinji wasn't impressed. "What if I told you that I've got pretty strong opinions about having memories recorded?"

Darrow sighed. This was one of the more common ethical complaints he had to put up with. "We can't copy your 'memories,' Shinji. We are downloading the video from the infiltration-"

"Here's a secret. NERV _can_, and I completely wrecked our HQ because of it, so don't think about touching anything that isn't relevant."

"Shinji," Rei began, "that is over and done, now. There's no need to bring back those circumstances."

There are three people in the world who can control Shinij while he's angry, and Rei is the best choice. He looked at her and quieted down.

"You should both feel the download starting now. The direct connection to the nanorecorder should bypass the disorientation that comes from the infolink's bandwidth limitations."

"Then this won't be like the baseball game?" Rei asked him.

"Exactly. In the future, we shouldn't even need the chamber, but as of now, we have to work within the restraints built into your prototypes...Unit-00, Unit-01, downloading timestamped video from 'current time' to the previous 12 hours...

...How are you two feeling."

"Like my sinuses are draining." Shinji answered.

"...I feel the same way...It is not as taxing as the remote download." Rei concurred.

Darrow covered his mouth and choked back a laugh as he watched the recorded infiltration. "Shinji, did you really shock a man while he-"

"Well, it worked, didn't it?"

* * *

"What the fuck, man! Where's my laptop?!" The gang boss shouted to himself as he scrambled around the office he claimed, trying to find his computer. He couldn't spend much time searching because his door burst open to reveal two SWAT cops in riot armor pouncing on him.

"Stay on him, Haas!"

The first of the two officers tackled him to the floor and held him there, while the other one cuffed and bound him. "No problem, Adam, this one was too easy."

"Busy couple of days for you punks." The ranking officer spoke. "Yesterday you get your asses kicked by a pair of four foot tall private eyes, today you get busted for...lets see here...Grand theft, Smuggling, attempted murder...and...ooh, possession of child pornography. The guys in General Population are going to love you for that one." Jensen dragged the bound Baller out where he saw his brothas on the ground with their hands on their heads, Jensen's SWAT team surrounding them.

* * *

"I wonder who Sarif ordered to tailor all these identical suits..." Shinji complained out loud as he packed his new wardrobe to be ready for their belated trip to Paris. They'd just received new attire purported to support their efforts in close-quarters-combat. Both teens now owned multiple facsimilies of the same outfit: Shinji was now the living embodiment of 'dark'. Dark sunglasses, dark trenchcoat concealing his new ballistic vests, dark cargo trousers, and dark silent boots. Rei now owned several dark blue sets of long-sleeved tunic dresses and leggings, all woven from ballistic carbon fabric. Like Shinji's footwear, her new shoes contained cushioned insoles, complementing their ambient noise suppression enhancements.

Kaji walked out into the apartment's living room and saw that the pair were adequately packed. "Misato does have a point about this one, kids. So far, all we have is a recording of a voice telling us to go to Paris. We could easily be walking into a trap. If you want to back out-"

"There's no incentive to retire now, Inspector Kaji."

"Then go to the bathroom before we take off, because we're flying non stop. We just got clearance to pick up fuel from a KC-10 over the Atlantic."

* * *

The gang boss found himself cuffed to a table that had been bolted to the floor. The desk chair was hard and cold, and he knew that he was in one of the Detroit precincts, just not _which_ one. The cop that arrested him entered the interrogation room.

"Which one do you want to start with, punk? The Neurop theft, the child porn, or the gunrunning."

"It's business, man. The Bangers want the Neurop, we've gotta keep them down. They got too much power, somebody gotta knock them down a peg."

"And shooting up a refrigerated hazardous materials van seemed like a good way to send the Bangers a message? You need to rethink your party planning. How about the weapons?"

"We don't haul that shit, cuz, we just buy it. Why don't you guys got this stuff, man? Detroit's gun control laws don't do shit. You could have any one of them loads, just walk out at night, somebody'll take your money for one."

"They don't generally let us get away with that sort of thing. Now for the last one, where'd you get the images? Some of them were a bit much, even for you scum."

"Shit, man, I don't know where they came from, I just googled 'hot chicks', and that's what came up. I saved the ones that looked good."

"Well those pictures are going to be hard to get you out of court...I'm seeing 15 to 25, probably no parole...Good behavior's probably out, too."

"Damn pigs, you all the same."

* * *

10 hours after takeoff, Champs-Élysées, Paris

The VTOL, which was running on vapors at this point, set down on top of one of the many condominium buildings in this Paris social district. Kaji opened the passenger hatch for the two teens and then lifted away to head to de Gaulle to buy desperately-needed jet fuel. He radioed the two soon after he left.

"The good news is that we're in one of the most culturally complete, beautiful cities in the world. The bad news is that we're in a city of 12 million people. I'm going to be sitting on de Gaulle International's tarmac for a few hours waiting for service. You two act like any of the other million oblivious tourists in the city; try finding a library or WiFi café to research Illuminati or SEELE ties to France, and Paris in particular. Give me an inventory, just to check up."

"Kaji, Shinji here. I've got my NERV and Sarif cards, Zenith 10 mil, pepper gun that needs fluid, and Tazer...it needs several hours on a wall charger. Uhh, the sword is in my luggage compartment."

"The same for me, Inspector Kaji. My personal effects, the knife I took from the gang hideout, and firearm are all ready, but I need to restock my nonlethal implements."

"Okay you two, you didn't hear this from me, but make a little side trip to the subway stations...there's usually a motley collection of unlikeables down there who'll sell you the kinds of stuff you won't find in the boutiques." They watched as their transportation headed off through the various helicopter traffic.

"Shinji..."

"Yes, Rei?"

"I've never concerned myself with immersion in other cultures or really had a desire to travel, for obvious reasons, but now..._We're in Paris._"

Shinji thought about what she meant. =...She shouldn't really be alive right now...If my bastard father succeeded, none of us would...We need to make this trip count. = "So...after converting them from Yen, Rei, I've got 65,000 UN Credits in my NERV account, what about you?"

"Over 300,000."

"What."

Shinji's facial expression was...amusing, to say the least.

"I've been receiving the 350,000 Yen monthly stipend since I was created, Shinji. With roughly 8 years of pay, which I rarely spend...and the UN Credit is worth a value somewhere in between one Dollar and one Euro."

"Right. Well, you have a very good point. We _are_ in Paris, and we only know that _somebody_ is here, and we're looking for them." He slipped an arm around her waist. "Maybe we could take our time finding them."

They made their way through the janitor's access from the roof to the top floor of this particular building and began descending the long spiral staircase to the ground floor and the streets of Paris.

"Kaji." Shinji opened a radio channel as they stepped down. "Do we need to buy a few nights?"

"I don't know, yet. It may be safe to, but we still don't have that much intelligence. You two could be searching for the rest of your lives."

"Really," came Shinji's flat expression.

"I'm being facetious. You two could be finished by tonight, or you could get knocked off by more hitmen. Just saying."

"So helpful, jet man, so helpful." Shinji cut his radio. "Well, Rei, we essentially have free reign to do whatever we want, so..."

"I am kind of hungry..."

"Well, Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous tourist streets on the planet." They left the lobby of the building they arrived on top of. "Some of the recipes I know come from the café's around here. They turned out and began walking the street, seeing the Arc de Triomphe and the skyscrapers of La Defense rising from the land several kilometers before them. Quite a few Parisians turned their heads to get a double-take at the dark and mysteriously dressed young man holding the attractive girl with blue hair.

"It has been five, nearly six months since I destroyed Unit-00." Rei said, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Yeah, Rei?"

"Even when we were in New York, I didn't think about it...The Evas are infinitely strong, bipedal creatures, yet approaching the Arc, or knowing that we're in the home of the Eiffel Tower, constructed over 250 years ago, before we had the benefits of Computer Modeled Design or nanometer-accurate components...It makes me feel small."

"Sure, architecture and engineering are hundreds of years old...Mr. Dowd mentioned that. But think about it; Dr. Akagi told me that she thinks NERV is the greatest achievement in history. They built the Evas, they built the MAGI, NERV...well, they made you. You're the first human born of research and science." Shinji started blushing deep red when he thought about what he'd say next. "You're more important than anything people have ever 'built'. Even the Evas can't think and...feel...like you can. They have to have somebody, essentially willing to be sacrificed, bonded to it...You were complete from the beginning-"

"No, Shinji, I had to have a soul bonded to me, as well..."

"Okay, fine, you're Lillith. That means that we can't create a 'soul' yet...I'm sure a mad scientist like Ritsuko is already working on it. No matter what, it only proves my point. Think about what you represent now...You're completely identical to a person that's been, you know...born."

"Shinji..." Rei felt like she was floating in his arms. "Calling me normal, calling me 'natural'...it's the most meaningful compliment I've ever received."

It's not uncommon -in fact, it's an hourly occurrence- to see a young couple caught up in a kiss on the Paris sidewalks.

* * *

"Le Foquet's?" Rei read the hanging sign as Shinij walked her up to the hotel's street entrance.

"It's one of the places that has recipes I've written down. Their website said they're expensive, but we're basically rich, so..." The wait staff seated the young couple.

= Okay...how do I do this...Record and Translate... = His eyes photographed the French-language menu and converted it into two files in his database, one in English and one in Japanese. Shinji read them and ordered a single Sole meunière and prawns, and the two teens split the marinated oceanfish plate.

"Just wondering, Rei...You're finished with Ritsuko's medicine and diet routine from, you know, the JSDF thing. You don't object to eating meat at all anymore?"

"I do so for my strength, Shinji. I still believe in protecting all living things; and using food as a political soapbox like a militant vegan would is embarrassing."

"So...I guess what we'll do first is send Kaworu a message asking him about SEELE and the Illuminati in Paris, and then what?"

"We should read up on French history...It is an excuse to visit the Louvre."

Their bill came. "Yeah, it's expensive. I'm glad we can afford it."

They entered the nearest subway station to board the Paris Yellow Line train, to take them to the historic French fortress and museum. Shinji tripped over a tall blonde woman's feet as he entered the train. A testament to his enhanced reflexes, he rolled to a defensive stance and -somewhat on edge, considering his new line of work- scanned around the train for any hint of violent intent. The woman stood and helped him up, apologizing profusely in heavily-French accented English.

"Excuse me, ma'am...How did you know I spoke English and not French?"

"You're clearly not from around here, darling. Since most travelers are either Brits or Yanks, I just guessed."

"We're Japanese. We simply study intensely." The girl he was traveling with answered.

"Well, what are the two of you doing in Paris?"

"As a matter of fact, studying. We're on our way to the Louvre."

"Dressed in all this?" She waved over Shinji's mostly black clothing. "And those sunglasses? I'd have guessed you were going to La Porte de l'Enfer."

Shinji and Rei's translation software wrote out the name. "Why would we be going to 'The Gates of Hell'?"

"Because it's the hottest club in Paris, and your handsome friend would fit right in. He's got the brooding leather biker look down perfectly. And you, in that hemline and those tights, I hope he can fight, because he'll have to get in between you and every hot stud in the house."

"What's the entry fee?"

"Invitation only." She handed each teen a card with the club's logo and its address. "Those'll get you in."

"Well, thank you...we think..." The woman departed at the next stop. Shinji and Rei rode on to the Louvre's station.

"So...should we just start poking around corners to find Kaji's 'unmentionable' salesmen?"

"I have a more efficient solution, Shinji." Rei took off her sunglasses and intently gazed around the station. "I see outlines of metal crates and a human profile in a storage room behind the ticket desk...Hmm, Shinji, you'll have to strike the ticket agent on the neck, as you did last time."

"Are you sure this is a black market shop and not just a closet?"

"No reason for a janitor to have crates matching the universal 7.62 NATO bulk storage form factor."

Shinji slipped around the ticket turnstiles and crept in to the ticket agent's booth, striking the young woman on her Vagus nerve. She fell slack, unconscious. Rei took a hair pin from her bag and a paperclip from the desk, Shinji drew his pistol and covered the door as she worked the pins in the lock. Several lifted pins later, she manipulated the slide on the door and they looked in on the surprised gunrunner and his stash.

"What's the rent to use this place?" Shinji smirked as he kept his firearm trained on the 'honest entrepreneur'.

"Free, as long as I keep the cops paid off. And that's about as far as I'll go...some CIA lunatic had his daughter kidnapped a few years ago. He killed like 40 Arab guys when he found out they had her. Did a real number to one of them, stabbed spikes in his legs and wired him up to some apartment building's electric lights. You two're just here to talk, apparently."

"We're here to see what you've got. We need pepper cartridges and Tazer batteries. We'll look at your ammunition stock, too."

He matched the various pepper canisters he had to their standard private security models and swapped the batteries in their Tazers.

"Just run your card. Don't worry about being tracked. The account runs through Boulangerie Centrale, a café just a few blocks from here. Check it out, tell them the subway clerk sent you and they'll get out the Zyme stock."

"Zyme?"

"You don't know? It's the newest Acid. Drop a vial and the world slows down and you speed up! It's like being the Flash, great for getting out of situations faster than you got in."

"Anything else for two kids who might want to make some noise?" Shinji asked.

"We'll I don't have any mods for those pistols that you don't already have...how many rounds you carrying?"

"Between the two of us...148 armor piercing."

"150 UN credits for 50 more."

"Deal."

"As a secret...I've got a targeting computer for an FR-27 if you can get ahold of one. It causes the flechettes it fires to curve into their targets. Lethal as the Reaper himself."

"If I had one," Shinji said. "I'd think about it."

"How about two White Phosphorous grenades? 1000 each."

Shinji's eyes widened. "Also a deal."

They ascended the flight of stairs to the surface and gazed upon the glass pyramid that dominates the courtyard before the museum.

"Hey Rei...Have I seen something like that, before?" Shinji started dumbly giggling at the thought.

"Yes, it does look like NERV HQ, and you aren't going to get a reaction out of me because of it." She flatly answered him.

They entered the museum and walked the galleries, forgoing the guided tour to remain relatively isolated. The pair would occasionally stop to more closely inspect an artifact, and spent quite the length of time in the Egyptian Antiquities Exhibit.

"So what is it with the Illuminati and Egyptian Icons?" Shinji asked Rei as they looked over a model of the Sphinx. "Pyramids, Obelisks, Eagles and Lions...Think about us, NERV's HQ offices are pyramids..."

"References to gods and divinity. Rather indicative of SEELE's...and Gendo Ikari's quest for godhood, when you consider it."

"Yeah. My dad went all the way with Instrumentality, right up until it killed him...If you hadn't awakened Lillith and Kaworu and Mari hadn't Lanced her, then SEELE would still be trying to cause an Impact themselves, wouldn't they?"

"And since we stopped them from completing their goal, they pursue and attack us. Yes, Shinji. Sarif Industries' enhancements will allow us to challenge any attacker. Our engagements at the shipyard and the gang territory prove that."

"Yeah. But there's always somebody better...When we're training, you beat me _constantly_...When we were fighting, Asuka and then Mari were the best...Hell, Mari's the one that killed Lillith..."

"We are using the only two existing prototypes of the next generation of human performance enhancements. We have an exclusive advantage, Shinji. Do not discount that."

Rei turned towards a downwards staircase. This led to the lower wing of the museum, exhibiting the surviving layout of the Louvre's original purpose, the stone fortress of the 16 and 1700's. This sector of the museum was much less densely populated, and the lack of people present would result in no awkward stares at the girl who appeared to be talking to her own head when Rei opened a radio channel to Kaworu.

"Nagisa. Ayanami checking in."

"We've got you, Rei. How are the two of you?"

"The Louvre is quiet, fortunately. What are the Parisian Illuminati or SEELE connections?"

"It would be easier to ask who _aren't_ the Parisian Illuminati connections. The movement was -founded- in the city after the French Revolution, but most of the Parisian families prefer to remain behind the scenes and work to their own fortunes over influencing world events...I don't have any real identification for Illuminati leadership in Paris...You two keep researching."

"That we will." She turned to Shinji. "We need to focus our efforts...According to Kaworu, Paris is the birthplace of the Illuminati."

"Crap, and I wanted to visit the Eiffel Tower before we go get embroiled in the conspiracy." He checked the time. "It's past 5 PM, here. We spent most of the day asleep on the plane...The Paris Library will probably already be closed..." Shinji's hands idly felt through his various pockets. = Handgun, Tazer and pepper, grenades -those are gonna be fun, hey, the club tickets! = "Rei, that lady did give us those club tickets..."

"I'm not fond of crowds, Shinji, but if you think it'll be enjoyable, I have no problem attending."

"Okay, one more stop before we head there..." He began walking in the direction away from the subway station.

* * *

"Shinji, there appears to be no one here..."

"I don't get this. The guy said to come to Boulangerie Centrale, and the doors were open, but..." He rang the small service bell. "Looks like nobody's home-"

He noticed that an oven close to the cash register was labeled as 'ON', yet it gave out a cold sensation.

"Rei, why would you disguise a refrigerator as an oven?"

"To stop people from opening it..." She lifted the door to the cooking area and found six small, clear vials of liquid. "This must be the Zyme stash..." She took all six vials and they made themselves scarce.

* * *

They took their time getting to and from the bakery. By the time they'd reached Champs-Élysées, it was past 7 PM. They followed the directions to La Porte de l'Enfer and walked up to the bouncer at the door. Shinji and Rei held up their cards.

"Invitation only, right?"

The bouncer checked the passes and nodded, opening the door and bowing slightly to Rei. A thumping beat welcomed them as they walked through the long entryway to the dance floor, where they saw singles and pairs dancing on the floor with a risqué (and rather short) cage dancer up high in the center. She wore what amounted to boots and a glossy leather one-piece swimsuit, had her hair up in a net, and was wearing a Greek theatre smile mask, obscuring her head and face. She turned to them as they entered the room and gave Shinji a once-over. She spoke strangely-accented French to them, which their software then translated. "Dark glasses, dark jacket, that scowl on your face...You look like you'll fit right in, stud. Why don't you dump that boring mess beside you, climb up in here with me, and we'll dance the _year_ away."

Rei put a hand over Shinji's mouth and spoke for him. "He and I do (not) dance, and if you continue making passes at him, I will climb up there and show you what I will do."

"Ooh, is he on the leash, you putting him in the doghouse, bitch?"

"I'll ignore that insult and instead tell you that I've imagined him wearing a collar and a leash, before; I like that image. It doesn't mean I control him or his choices."

"Then why not let him choose, now?"

"Ohh, no." Shinji cut in. "I'm not walking in to this catfight. Look, you're pretty, but I'm in a long-term relationship, and I'm loyal to my girlfriend."

A tall blonde woman watched the trio's banter from behind her drink at a table in a darkened alcove.

Shinji and Rei pulled away from the predatory girl and walked the club, seeing the three bars, the dark dining area, and the 'private space' upstairs where the partiers and wait staff don't ask too many questions.

Shinji had just approached the DJ when the front doors to the club exploded and a platoon-sized group of unnaturally pale-skinned, almost identical looking men and women wearing black suits and sunglasses marched into the club and began summarily shooting the bouncers and club security.

"IDENTIFY HIGH-VALUE TARGETS." Came the inhuman voice of one of the attackers.

Terrified partiers dove to the floor. Some of them kicked over tables, while others scrambled behind the bars as the bouncers tried to fight back with brass knuckles and Tazers, and were effortlessly cut down by the assault rifle fire from the invaders.

Rei's radio roared to life with Shinji's voice. "REI! I don't know what the hell is happening, but we've got to answer these bastards!" She ducked into a shadowy corner near a restroom and loaded her handgun as she counted 19 of these anonymous murderers now moving through the facility and targeting any person that showed signs of resistance.

"Shinji, enable everything related to combat; Arm Strength, Running Speed, Muscular Density, turn them all on!" Rei ducked out of the shadow and opened fire on one of the Agents...he took three rounds to his chest and turned to look at her.

"HIGH VALUE TARGET CONFIRMED." The Agent raised his PMC-issue FR-27, only for Rei to whip out her knife from one of her outfit's compartments and stab the Agent through his wrist, severing the primary nerve in his hand, causing it to go slack and drop the rifle. She shot him once more in the chest and the Agent fell backwards...and his body exploded in a shower of entrails. Rei was blown backwards, landing hard on a table. She received several small shrapnel impacts and some blunt trauma which her nanites quickly extracted and relieved.

"Shinji. These attackers aren't normal soldiers. They have pain-tolerance techniques and a suicide bomb. Use extreme caution!"

The dancer yelled to the DJ, who was cowering behind his deck. "These assholes still have to communicate! Make some noise and drown them out!"

The DJ scrambled up to crank the volume up to the system's max and pressed play on a random song.

The speaker system throughout the club exploded with drums, and a metal guitar screamed out across the amplifiers.

* * *

Too late, the melody is over, the joke seems to be on me?  
Cause I'm the one not laughing, down here on the floor.  
Deflate the mystery of living, in the most heartless fashion I could ever imagine...No pretense of decor!

* * *

Shinji was below the DJ's sound deck when the shooting started and Rei called him from across the premises. He smirked an evil grin as he pulled one of the WP Grenades from his coat.

"ALL YOU PARTIERS GET DOWN!" He threw the grenade towards a cluster of three Agents, who suffered the burst of the burning particles and were now drenched in fire...The explosion didn't last long, though, and the Agents emerged burned and disfigured, but now all three approached Shinji.

= This is stupid! = He pulled his weapon and placed three shots in the center Agent's head, killing him and triggering his suicide switch. The explosion killed and triggered the two Agents to his left and right, resulting in fire and chunks of men getting thrown across the floor.

* * *

With me, disaster finds a playfield, love seems to draw dark, twisted pleasure tearing at me;  
Cause I can't let you go...  
Mercy, like water in a desert, shine through my memory like jewelry in the sun...  
Where are you now?

* * *

Rei now had her composure back, and she took one of the vials and drank the contents...

...the world moved at a pace comparable to 'sloth' and she could visually track the rounds currently flying from Shinji's firearm. She began running at her power-assisted speed and emptied her magazine into the group of Agents, placing multiple precise shots per head into four of them. She sprinted away as their suicide bombs exploded.

Her plan was a good one, until she collapsed to her knees behind a desk and coughed up significant amounts of phlegm as the Zyme's effect wore off and she was reduced to the drug crash, but it wasn't debilitating enough to stop a tall blonde woman from watching her performance and become extremely impressed.

* * *

Another place and time; without a great divide; and we could be flying deadly high!  
I'll sell my soul to Dream You Wide Awake!  
Another place and time without a warning sign, and we could be Dying Angel Style!  
I'll sell my soul to Dream You Wide Awake!

* * *

By now, Shinji has learned the durability of these Agents, and he's gotten several of them to engage him. He ducked down below several upturned tables as he throws his other grenade into a group of three more. The fire that engulfs them caused them to panic and attempt to douse the flames as Shinji emerges from his cover and shoots the three of them in their heads, several times. The suicide explosions add even more to the mess...

* * *

It's like I'm racing to the sun! Blindly face the blazing gun!  
Cause I'm afraid I will be left here without you!  
Like I'm racing not to run! Give more when I have none!  
Cause I'm afraid I will be left here without you...wide awake...

* * *

Rei picked up the rifle dropped by her first kill, and judging it to be adequate, strength-jumped from a table to mantle up and over the walkway railing to the upper dance floor to get a long-range advantage. The amount of injury they had to take to kill was incredible, and she had to put several bursts of fire into each of her next four kills' heads before they'd fall and explode. Too much, in fact.

"Empty magazine...Automatic fire is not economical against these opponents."

* * *

Another place and time; without a great divide; and we could be flying deadly high!  
I'll sell my soul to Dream You Wide Awake!  
Another place and time without a warning sign, and we could be Dying Angel Style!  
I'll sell my soul to Dream You Wide Awake!

* * *

Shinji saw this standoff as an opportunity to take one of the three Zyme vials Rei had given him. The taste burned on his tongue, but the speed and power he felt more than made up for it. He began jumping around and skidding through the three remaining Agents, placing shots when the opportunity presented itself. He detonated the first suicide Agent and the final two pursued him into a cluster of tables. When the bullets pierced their reinforced skulls, he was too close to the impediments and was blown through a table, landing with severe blunt trauma on his back. Rei rushed down the stairs to his side.

"Why is his medical support not enabling itself?!"

"Because he has too little power remaining. You have the same architecture as he does, correct?" The blonde woman appeared behind Rei.

"Yes ma'am."

"Then roll him over onto his chest and place your hands on his upper and lower vertebrae."

Rei complied and cringed as she felt the electric shock traveling through her body into Shinji's. She gently extracted some of the splinters of wooden table and watched as his wounds closed themselves. His eyes shot open and he coughed bits of blood before becoming coherent again. He rolled back onto his side and looked up to Rei. "You're so beautiful, you know that?" He said before closing his eyes and passing out.

* * *

I'll dream you, I'll dream you, I'll dream you; Wide Awake!  
I'll dream you, I'll dream you, I'll dream you; Wide Awake...wide awake...

* * *

"It's okay. He just needs that sleep, don't worry about him."

Rei turned to the woman. "The subway train! You're-"

"Let me introduce myself. Elizabeth DuClaire, World Health Organization."

"Rei Ayanami." She turned to her dazed and sleeping boyfriend. "Shinji Ikari."

"Oh, I'm well aware!" She laughed. "I've been looking forward to seeing the nano-augmented Units in action. James was most impressed with the two of you, and now, so am I."

The cage dancer walked up to the small group. "Well now, I never would've expected you two to know how to kill so well..."

Rei turned to her. "Really, there's no reason to continue acting like you don't already know us, and that costume is a bit much, isn't it?"

The dancer removed her mask, smirked, and let her long red hair tumble down behind her. "Hey Wondergirl."

* * *

A/N: My favorite enemy units in DX1 and DX2 were the MJ12/Illuminati elite soldiers. Since they were bullet sponges, you'd need to use more effictive methods to take them out, my favorite method was always the 'incendiary crossbow bolts'.

The awesome shootout music was Poets of the Fall (easily the best band ever formed) Dreaming Wide Awake. Look them up on itunes/amazon


	10. DuClaire Chateau

A/N: The house's layout is the exact map from DX1,  
Pull up youtube: /watch?v=uX0hU7jQ5O4  
The greatest music ever made, for the greatest level ever made, from the greatest game ever made.

* * *

Chapter 10: DuClaire Chateau

* * *

"Isn't leatherhead there kind of heavy, Wondergirl?"

"My muscles are augmented."

"What?"

"...I'll explain later."

A military VTOL isn't something Parisians see on the city streets very often. This particular night, the street was blocked by the NERV aircraft that just put down directly in front of La Porte de l'Enfer to meet a tall, blonde adult woman, two teenage girls, and one teenage boy who was sleeping like a log and being carried by the girl with blue hair. The redheaded girl helped the blue one awkwardly load Shinji Ikari into the aircraft, at roughly the same time as a mustached man in a white suit and tie emerged from the club's entrance and caught up to the group.

"Wait!" He caught Elizabeth DuClaire and Asuka Soryu as Rei got Shinji comfortable and belted him down safely. "So, Beth, these are the two that you and your undercover friend have been searching for?"

"Yes they are, and you can see why."

"I don't know why my nightclub was targeted, but those two...kids...just put down an invasion."

"It was targeted because I'm not the only one looking for them. I'm getting them out of the public eye for that very reason."

"Well, before you take off, forward this 2000 credit gratuity to their credit accounts."

"2000, that's it? These kids just took down an army!"

"I can't afford to haggle. Yes, I appreciate what they did, but I have to settle things with my lawyers, clean up the blood all over my club, repair the damages, bullet holes and explosion craters-"

"Fine. I'll make sure they get it. Thanks for the VIP passes, by the way." She climbed into the VTOL taking a seat beside Asuka as Rei instructed Kaji to fly to Ms. DuClaire's destination.

* * *

The VTOL set down in the front courtyard of the majestic Chateau DuClaire, a thirteenth-century estate of the French nobility that the DuClaire family had acquired after the Second World War, and Kaji waved them on ahead as he went through the process of shutting down the complex aircraft to the point of disabling its electrical system, ensuring its locator beacon would not broadcast. Beth and Asuka disembarked and waited for Rei to assist a conscious but delirious Shinji out of the aircraft, for him to weakly lean against her as she slowly walked him towards the thick hardwood doors of the Chateau's entry hall.

Something Asuka would have never expected Rei to do, the blue-haired girl complimented the estate as the quartet approached the hall -a testament to her developed and more socially open personality.

"This home, it feels almost...magical. The only person I know with this wealth or sophistication was the late Gendo Ikari. At his death, neither I nor Shinji were to inherit any of his wealth, it all went back to NERV. Despite his millions, he lived a spartan, austere lifestyle. He raised me to do the same, and Shinji-" She shifted his weight in her arms, "is naturally frugal. Despite being stationed at NERV's primary headquarters, my 'apartment'-" her tongue burned when she mentioned the place she now hated, "was the definition of 'poverty'. I've never seen a place such as this."

Asuka cut in. "As a matter of fact, _I_ have. Being raised in the German countryside let me see the castles and fortresses of the Barons of the Counties."

Miss DuClaire smiled as she keyed open one of the massive double doors. "For a person as paranoid as me, this place _is_ a fortress. Everything is reinforced, the doors can hold up to cannon fire, the windows are barred and can be locked in place, and the walls are bomb-resistant. When your family is one of the most prominent of the Illuminati, you quickly militarize everything you own...you'll see what I mean a little while from now."

Before the quartet entered, Asuka spoke up. "Okay, Beth. I'm grateful that you picked me up from that hospital, but I think I deserve to know why, over the last two weeks, I've been hearing the word 'Illuminati' thrown around like a baseball."

Beth rubbed her temples in exasperation at the fiery redhead. "Because, Asuka, you are now in the employ of one of the Illuminati's ruling parties. I brought you out of Germany to keep you safe from SEELE's assassins. Shinji and Rei are already used to it after their meeting with James Dowd. That old sod is certainly a little loose in the head, but he's practically aware of every transaction of currency, every act of government, and every mobilization of force on the planet. _That_ is what the Illuminati is, Asuka, awareness. The rifle round you were shot with turns out to be what saved your life. If you were hit by a fragmentation round or a hollow point, well, you wouldn't be here wearing that silly costume, would you?" Beth quipped, referencing Asuka's status as an undercover dancer.

The word 'shot' caused Shinji to force his eyes open and jump to his feet, breaking out of Rei's grasp. "Asuka!? Shot!? What happened!?"

"Calm down, Idiot." She answered him. She rolled down one shoulder strap of her suit, showing the scarring from the skin graft that now covered the round's entry wound. "I've got another one of these on my left side, hence the one-piece and not a top and bottom combo."

Beth entered at this point, explaining this reunion to Shinji and Rei. "When the Illuminati got wind of the attempt on Miss Soryu's life, we stepped in and took her under our protection. I appeared at Charite Hospital and paid her treatment in full, on the grounds that Mr. and Mrs. Soryu allow me to have her until the attackers are brought to justice. After you two were configured at Sarif Industries, the 'brought to justice' part became _your_ job...That reminds me. The dining room and kitchen are this way." She entered the house and turned right moving from the great hall to the dining area. Asuka and Rei followed her.

Rei and Shinji noticed the instrumental music that began playing throughout the house after Beth entered. It was a piano piece that began slow and subdued, but quickly picked up tempo as it became a synthesized electronic beat. It sounded good.

"I can think of two kids who critically require their synthetic dietary supplements." Beth called from her kitchen. She regarded the maid of the house, instructing her to prepare two servings of Coq au Vin for herself and the redheaded guest, before bringing out a standard array of Cyberboost nutrition. Rei helped Shinji into a seat and sat beside him while Beth mixed their drinks. The pair ate while she resumed her explanation.

"For my day job, I'm an assistant administrator of the French office for the World Health Organization. One of the WHO's primary purposes is standardization of treatment, which means ensuring that all processes for medication, surgery, or therapy are concurrent across regions and nations. You two are (not) mechanically augmented, so you don't fall under the standard treatment for cybernetics. Technically, your augmentations don't even exist, you aren't Neuropazyne users despite the billions of artificial implants inside you, and you've never been to a LIMB clinic. Sarif are decades ahead of their time in that respect, _but_ they can only create a single biocontroller and a single population of nanites in a production run. They can't yet mass produce them, and that's what's keeping them from putting these nano augmentations of yours on the market. No supply."

"Wait wait wait-" Asuka interjected. "You people keep saying 'augmented'. Augmented means you're using extra equipment to give you more power during a task. Shinji and Rei don't have any prosthetic limbs."

"Sunglasses, you two."

Shinji and Rei smirked to one another. The sunglasses came off and Asuka screamed.

"THE EYES! Oh My God the EYES-" * SLAP *

"Calm down Asuka." Beth ensured the girl got her composure. "Between the three of you, you're the lucky one. Shinji and Rei were nearly killed in a missile strike. Nanite reconstructive surgery is what saved their lives. It's also what killed Versalife's physiopharmaceutical assassins."

"Fizzy O'whatsit? The assholes at the club?"

"As opposed to cybernetic limbs, or Shinji and Rei's experimental injections, the physiopharmaceutical operatives use a combination of strength training and military drilling, steroids and opiates, chemical and biological immunizations, and brainwashing to create an inhuman killing machine capable of gunning down a bunch of cowering dancers in a club. I had no idea that they'd been deployed yet. If Shinji and Rei hadn't been configured as two nano-augmented-"

"How did _you_ know about them?"

"Because SEELE-02 is the one enabling them. Bob Page, only 29 years old, so far, already owns Page Industries _and _Versalife pharmaceuticals. He uses Page Industries' security services to train the agents and Versalife's drugs to weaponize them."

Rei asked the next question. "How are you and Dowd certain Page is SEELE-02?"

"Simple, sweetheart: I am SEELE-03." Shinji and Rei went silent.

* CLICK * A handgun was loaded and Kaji walked into the dining room.

"You really shouldn't say things like that when I'm within earshot."

"Finished making your bird go dark? Put it down, love. I have no intention of harming Shinji, Rei, or Asuka. Do you not think the Illuminati has somebody inside every rogue organization on this sick and depraved _planet_?"

"And you expect me to believe you're a double agent just from your own words?"

"You've been happily doing my bidding ever since I intercepted Shinji and Rei on that subway train. That's right, Shinji stumbling all over me was planned from the beginning. As was Asuka sending an anonymous, untraceable tip to NERV headquarters. If I wanted to kill you, Shinji, or Rei...I would've had it done _long_ ago. So, with that unpleasantry out of the way, let's get cooperative, shall we?"

"Fine. Why are you helping _us_?"

"Ah yes, the wonderful 'why'. I'd thought you'd never ask. The answer is simple: payment for services rendered. I am an Illuminatus embedded in SEELE to prevent it from completing its Singularity, and NERV is the organization to do the job. All I ask in return for the Illuminati's support is...a daughter."

Asuka went wide eyed. "Look, sorry, but I'm not leaving my dad-"

"I'm not trying to keep _you_ Asuka. I plucked you from that hospital to protect you from SEELE, but I am (not) adopting anybody." She turned to Rei. Shinji noticed this.

"She's not up for adoption, either!"

"When did I say I _wanted_ to adopt anybody?" The implication dawned on Shinji, who tried to play it off.

"Then why look at Rei? She doesn't have any sisters or anything...Why don't you and Kaji just-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, easy there kiddo!" Kaji cut him off and Beth continued.

"In the past, Rei had hundreds of sisters, didn't you, Rei?"

"...You know."

"Now don't give me that look. Have I acted like that's a bad thing? Have I treated you like you're less than a person?"

"Beth, what the hell is going on?!" Asuka was getting confused and frightened. She didn't like being either. All this SEELE-Illuminati whatever was grating on her nerves, and now Beth was implying that Wondergirl was one of a hundred? What?

"You don't know, Asuka? About Rei?"

"I know that she basically turned into Lillith! What else is there?"

"You never told her?"

"Shinji and I were...afraid of her reaction."

"Well the truth is out. So, Asuka, your friend is a human being grown in an LCL factory from the DNA of the Second Angel, Lillith. What do you think of that?"

"Wha-..."

"She was grown using cloning technology."

"Huh..." Asuka's eyes glazed over. Beth ignored the catatonic girl and turned to Rei and Kaji.

"I brought you out here to set the terms: NERV sees SEELE fall, and I get access to NERV's cloning facilities."

"_That's_ what you want?"

"Every relationship I've had has failed. I want a family to carry the DuClaire name, but no man has been right for me. If I can barter usage of NERV's laboratories in exchange for the Illuminati's power...I think you can see the outcome. The rest of the council will certainly be surprised when I introduce you."

"How did you know about me?"

"Didn't James tell you about the Illuminati's data collection?"

"Well, yeah." Shinji spoke up. "But he never acted like Rei was-"

"Why does he need to? Why do you or I need to? I don't care that Rei is synthetic, all I want is the ability to have a sweet little girl of my own, and NERV has the ability to do so _properly_."

Asuka spoke up. "This is the part where the somebody tells the villain that they're completely mad!"

"In the world you joined when you came here, Soryu, sanity will get you killed."

The maid collected their dishes and Beth led the group into the kitchen. She keyed open the stairway door down to her wine cellar and ordered the group inside.

"No way! This is probably some kind of medieval bondage torture!"

Kaji narrowed his eyes and slowly turned to Asuka. "How do _you_ know about 'bondage torture'?"

"Not from you, if that's what you're implying."

* * *

"This is..." Shinji stared around the holodeck in wonder.

"This is an identical environment to Gendo Ikari's communication system." Rei confirmed.

Beth had opened a secret wall in her wine cellar by removing a candle from a candelabra, and led the group up a flight of stairs to the massive computer monitoring network and communications station she had hidden in her bunker. She was seated at the desk in the room while she waited to activate the virtual communication channel to the other SEELE Units.

"The SEELE separatists all severed ties with the Illuminati when they decided that we were too selfless. Despite the Illuminati's wealth, we do not pursue much in the way of political power. SEELE's attempt with the Third Impact was a movement to raise themselves to emperors of the merged consciousness of humanity. Obviously, the Illuminati chose to put somebody on the inside, so I cut ties with Dowd and several other high voices of the Illuminati until SEELE was organized...After I joined them, I began recording and delivering the communications to Dowd to be dispersed to the other voices. Now their attacks on NERV illuminate their current plan, in this case, they plan to eliminate the force most likely to overpower them."

"And telling them that we're here will help, how?"

"You'll know your enemy. Lorenz is somewhere in Germany, but I don't know his current residence. Page is with Versalife at NERV branch 2, Zhao is high in her penthouse in Hengsha- she'll be the easiest one to pursue, next." She activated the console. The walls melted away and the desk, with Beth and her company, was surrounded with towering stone slabs, each illuminated with the snake and apple, SEELE's mark.

* * *

SEELE-01 SOUND ONLY: "You have called an emergency meeting. Why?"

"Because, Lorenz, I'm afraid there's been an emergency change of plans."

SEELE-01 SOUND ONLY: "You just violated our policy of anonymity. You will (not) refer to any of us by name."

"Well then, it's a good thing that I don't ever follow your rules."

SEELE-01 SOUND ONLY: "You are placing yourself in grave danger by speaking above your place."

"Ask Bob how much danger we were in, tonight. His performance-enhanced assassins didn't stand a chance against two experimental teenagers. Quite a bit of egg in the face for his physiopharmaceutical research, wasn't it?"

SEELE-02 SOUND ONLY: "What is it you're going on about?"

"The two Nanite Biochips produced by one of NERV's mutual friends have been implanted and activated. I think you can guess who has them; they made a _mockery_ of your conditioned killers."

SEELE-02 SOUND ONLY: "Three, I believe it is time that we end our association with you-"

"You'll have to try, corrupt bastard." A certain, augmented young man's voice cut off SEELE-02.

SEELE-02 SOUND ONLY: "Ikari. Your father's failure will only be a prologue to your own."

"Is that a threat? I used to be pretty bad about those, but not anymore. Your _freaks_ might have morphine and brainwashing to blunt their fear of pain, but we have nerves of steel. Based on Miss Duclaire's advice, tell SEELE-05 that we're coming after her, next."

Beth cut the other shadow leaders off from a retort. "Shinji, I'm impressed. Your dossier placed you as a relative-"

"I'm not a coward anymore. I'd keep fighting even if I didn't have nanotech superpowers."

"Then what you need to do next is have your colleagues back at the GeoFront begin researching Hengsha and Tai-Yong Medical. A word of warning before you decide to attack Zhao, she uses mechanical augmentees for her security, but unlike Sarif's systems, they use brute strength over precision and stealth. I'll see to it that you get material support in China, but your opponents will be more dangerous than Versalife's assassins."

* * *

"What happens now?"

"You rest." She ushered the group out of the holodeck and led them back through her electronics bunker and into her wine cellar. She paused for just a moment to select a bottle of Chablis and Crème de Cassis de Dijon. She reentered the kitchen and instructed the maid to ensure the selection was chilled, before organizing the arrangements for the evening. Out from the dining room into the great hall, she instructed Kaji to occupy the writing office to the left of the courtyard doors, using the sofa inside as his bed. She then took Shinji and Rei upstairs to her guest room, through the door immediately after the stairway's upper landing.

"Where will Asuka be staying? This guest room doesn't appear to have room for three..."

"With me. She's been staying in the master bedroom on a hideaway bed since I evacuated her from Germany. Now wash up, SEELE won't be getting any weaker as we sleep..."

* * *

Rei had finished in the nearby bathroom as Elizabeth walked in, carrying a paper-wrapped and string tied package.

"Sweetheart, you don't have anything comfortable, do you?"

Rei was confused for a moment. "...If you mean my clothing, then not really. Shinji and I packed multiple sets of personal protective equipment, but we never expected to be staying as guests in a mansion."

"Well, I was able to guess your sizes. Shinji doesn't like dry drinks does he?"

"I am not particularly aware..."

"Download the instructions to pour a glass of Kir, but use one third over one ninth...and try not to make too much noise tonight." The mysterious woman smirked to Rei as she opened the package...

"This is...-"

Beth softly cut her off. "This is what will ensure that boy of yours belongs to you for a _very_ long time..."

"Why are you giving me this?"

"Because I know your history, dear. I know how much that young man has improved your life. The Illuminati may be an ancient conspiracy, but we are a benevolent one, and the two of you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, yet again. Don't you think you two've earned some happiness, especially considering what you've survived, even since coming here? Tell me, why are you still alive?"

"...Because Mr. Sarif and Dr. Darrow treated me."

"No, before that. When your bastard creator used you-"

"The other Children fought me...Shinji saved me after Lillith was killed."

"And? You do plan on keeping him for your own, don't you? Trust me, this will make you just as happy as it will make him."

* * *

Rei emerged from the bathroom and returned to the guest room, just as Shinji was thoroughly examining the cocktail ingredients that had been delivered to the room. He used various wines and liquors Misato owned in several of his recipes, but he had never held a 150 Euro bottle of wine, before, and now he was looking at it and its partner in a bowl of ice, along with two crystal glasses the maid delivered. He turned to Rei when she opened the door and saw...

"Oh my god-"

"I would seem Elizabeth had...this, as a gift, waiting for me. French women have little inhibition, it would seem..." Rei was now wearing a translucent sky-blue slip and thigh stockings...Shinji began coughing and sputtering as she walked past and opened the two bottles. "I don't understand why she is treating us so exquisitely, but she wants us to enjoy our stay...if this is supposed to be a bribe of sorts..."

Shinji was trying to pay attention, but was far too distracted by Rei's legs. "Ar-...are y-you really wearing that?"

Rei poured two samples of the cocktail, increasing the volume of blackcurrant liqueur to overcome the bitterness of the dry white, herself not quite believing Ms. DuClaire's motivations for the evening. She tasted her glass, the dry white was bitter at the beginning, but the blackcurrant quickly sweetened the taste, resulting in a distinct range of flavor as she sampled.

"...Shinji." She handed him his glass. "I do hope you approve."

He drank his serving, looking her in her eyes. Those eyes, those red eyes, contrasted against the blue fabric and her blue hair. In fact, now that Rei was a blossoming young woman, her hair spread south, but was still vibrant blue in both locations. Shinji sputtered some more "...W-wonderful."

The music looped and continued.

She took his hand and led him to the queen-sized four poster bed.

"Rei...are you sure? I-If you don't want-

Rei, wait!

Rei, there's-there's no going back from this..."

"I know, Shinji...But...I want this..."

"Rei!

...Rei...

That-that feels amazing...Oh!

Rei...I love you."


	11. NERV Interlude

Chapter 11: NERV Interlude

* * *

The pre-dawn light delivered a pink hue over a sleeping girl's blue hair and pale shoulders, and the blanket covering her was mounded and vallied from her figure and the boy underneath her. Shinji opened his eyes, finding the trapped body heat uncomfortable, but not daring to move a centimeter away from the person occupying his first thoughts of the morning.

= I...I can't believe it...she's mine_-_...

...Oh, who the hell am I kidding, _I_ belong to _her_. = Of course, he wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

"Sh-...Shinji?" The lips against his cheek and the hair brushing his eyebrow and ear shifted and pulled away from him. She blinked several times before her vision focused on the face she was looking down at.

"I'm awake. Was I making noise, Rei? You can go back to sleep-"

"No, you weren't...I didn't sleep particularly well; my hips have been feeling sore."

"Oh, um," he blushed deep red when he realized he was the cause. He took the opportunity to massage his hands along her thighs. The fact that her nightwear ensemble was bottomless was very convenient for their night together. "Sorr-"

"Do not apologize, Shinji...It was thoroughly satisfying." She laid back down and slid her arms underneath his shoulders to hold him more closely, as her head conformed to the junction of his neck and shoulders, and he felt two very specific points press against his chest.

"Uh, uhh...I don't really know how to take a compliment like _that_..."

"Based on a comment I heard Misato make in the past," she kissed his neck before continuing; "she says the best way to follow up a session of lovemaking is to begin again."

"Uhh...We should probably get up, soon, instead...We're going to have a lot of work to do today."

"I do not understand your reluctance, Shinji. We are already sticky with body fluids, so there is no need to worry about cleaning up -twice- and the object prodding my waist tells me your body is willing..."

Shinji had never been more embarrassed in his life.

Suddenly, the door began pounding. Shinji and Rei shot alert,and Rei, marginally better dressed than Shinji, pulled the blanket up to their necks. Shinji groggily slid out from under his better half, tiptoed around the empty wine bottles and glasses on the floor, and reached for the pair of underwear and pants that Rei stripped him of and threw to the side of the room the night before. He approached the door and peered out to see Kaji wincing as he held a cell phone up to his ear, and Shinji could make out Misato's voice shouting unintelligibly into his ear as he tried to pacify her.

"Misato, so what?! They've been going out for more than half a year, _calm down._"

_'They're kids! You aren't even attempting to supervise them properly!'_

"It was two people -who are more mature than you are, by the way- in a consensual coupling."

_'How would you know?!'_

"Misato, I know because I trust Shinji not to mistreat Rei. I've seen him defend the planet, I've seen him stand up to his father and to Lorenz and Page, and I've seen him stand up _for_ you and Rei in the past. I'm not worried about them because those two _deserve_ to be trusted. Here." He looked to Shinji as he was peering out the door. "Sorry, kid, she's your problem, now."

Shinji gulped and timidly took the phone. "...Hello?"

"Well, I hope getting Rei knocked up was worth it, Shinji!"

"Misato, what do you mean 'knocked up'?"

"You forgot that those antennas in your underage heads transmit vital signs and GPS coordinates down to 9 decimal places! Guess what Shigeru noticed on his life-support terminal!"

"What?"

"He got a report detailing a massive increase in reproductive hormone levels, adrenaline, endorphins, and body temperature for both you and Rei. What do think _that_ represents?"

"Okay fine, Misato, we had sex, so what?! I love Rei and She loves me! And Kaji's right, she _is_ the most mature person I know!"

"A mature person would know that you don't have unprotected sex when you're being hunted by killers! You don't carry condoms when you're sneaking around hostile combatants! Now Rei's going to have a baby growing in her and it's going to die the next time she gets hurt."

"She won't get pregnant, Misato!"

"How would you know that, Shinji?!"

"Because she can't...it's a side-effect of the clone process..."

"You mean Rei is-"

"Yes, Misato. Didn't Ritsuko ever tell you?"

"No, she never mentioned it and I never asked. Is Rei still with you?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Give her the phone."

He walked over to the bed where she was still covered up, gave her the phone, and rolled his eyes as she answered.

"Colonel Katsuragi?"

"Forget the formalities, Rei. Pretty much everybody at NERV knows what happened because you two were still transmitting medical data as of last night."

"Oh. Apologies, ma'am."

"Why, Rei? You're more responsible than this."

"Why is there an objection? Intimacy is part of a relationship."

"'Intimacy' is saved for when you're ready. You two just walked out of _another_ shootout-"

"Shinji and I were ready."

"You two might think you're ready, you two might _feel_ ready, but what happens the next time you're on the job and you get distracted by your hormones?"

"Misato. Shinji and I have been distracted by our hormones since before the Twelfth Angel. Our relationship has never hurt our ability to fight. The Fifteenth Angel proved that it made us _stronger_."

"And what about you running around hostile locales with a baby bump?"

"That won't happen."

"...So it's true then?"

"Yes. I'm medically sterile. I'm not a perfect human, Misato."

"...Okay, Rei. I'm sorry I got snippy at you and Shinji...I just don't like seeing you and him as grown-ups yet..."

"The Eva Project required us to grow up a long time ago."

"I know, I know...It's just...you two are supposed to be _kids_. Listen, Rei...God I can't believe I'm discussing this, but do you know why I'm so overprotective of Shinji?"

"Because you feel responsible for the danger he's in."

"That's not the only reason...Shinji...and you and Asuka, to a lesser extent, are the only opportunity I'll ever have to have a child of my own. You and I have that in common, Rei."

"What? How? We are both sterile? I do (not) mean to be unsympathetic, but that seems awfully convenient..."

"You've never seen the scar I got in Antarctica, have you? Shinji has, on a couple of occasions. It covers my entire waist and chest and I have uterine damage from the explosion. I was rendered barren, so I kind of took Shinji as my own...Rei, I'm so sorry, I just don't like seeing another girl steal my little boy, and it's not just you, I promise. I'd be a snarling mother bear to any girl he meets. I just have to remember that he's in good hands with you."

Rei wiped a tear from her eye. "...Thank you, Misato. I appreciate your honesty, and your trust."

* * *

"You know, it's not polite to eavesdrop." Kaji smirked to Shinji as he leaned his ear on the door.

"I don't want Misato talking down to Rei-"

"Don't worry about her, Shinji. Rei can turn anything Misato says right back around to her. She's one of the smartest girls on the planet, and you know it." His face changed to an evil grin. "So, you've got to tell me. How was it?"

"KAJI! Really?! Come on, I mean...is this..."

He broke down laughing. "It's okay, Shinji, really. We're guys, and talking about our girlfriends is what we do...Here's a secret: Misato's not some overprotective, pure and holy mother like she's trying to be. She and I skipped an entire week of school so we could stay in bed when we were college freshmen. So I know all about her, inside and out."

Shinji was red-faced at the thought of Misato going that far for that long.

Kaji tried again. "So, did you at least enjoy it?"

He took a deep breath. "I...I don't know how to describe it...Sure it felt great, but...God, it's like...now, I'm so in love with Rei that I don't know what to do with myself..." He swooned as he leaned back against the door.

"Of course you know what you need to do, Shinji. Keep being her best friend, everything else will fall in step behind it."

* * *

DuClaire and her guests were gathered around the table for the morning's discussion before their departure. Shinji and Rei managed to clean up the room and make it somewhat presentable before the maid arrived, and Asuka's attire was significantly more tasteful than her choice for their night at the club. She now wore a yellow sundress and red shoes, giving her shoulder graft exposure the morning light.

"So...Shinji, Wondergirl...You two still joined at the hip, or have things cooled off?"

"We can still do our own thing, Asuka! Rei and Hikari occasionally hang out and I'm still friends with Kensuke and Touji. We don't do much more than just have sync tests at HQ, though."

"And what about she who is completely insane?"

"Uhh...Is that Misato or Mari?"

"Actually I was referencing Blondie, but those two fit, too."

"Well, they're all good...Maya's still in the hospital." Asuka didn't notice Rei's face falling when _that_ name was mentioned.

"Oh...She was one of the tolerable ones. Is she expected to-"

"She'll get better...Eventually..."

Beth tapped her glass with a fork, calling everybody to attention. "I've no doubt that Page is going to attempt to pursue you, and Hengsha is Belltower's territory. They've all but supplanted the Chinese Police in the less affluent segments of the city, and Tai-Yong Medical's mechanical augmentees control the business district. I can't believe I'm asking this, but try not to kill too many of them."

"And on that cheery note," Kaji remarked, "we're hopping to Dubai for a midpoint fuel stop and then finishing to Japan to get Shinji and Rei outfitted for heavier combat, and Asuka goes back under Misato's guardianship until SEELE is finished. Beth, you can come with us now if you want, or you can just talk to Ritsuko later."

* * *

8 Hours Later: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

"Ladies and Gentleman: Dubai International, Concourse B. Stretch your legs while I spend even more of NERV's money and be back within two hours or I take off without you. And that threat _does_ extend to the two teenagers who got us into this mess." Kaji stuck his head out from the pilot's seat and smirked to Shinji and Rei, seated in the fuselage on one side of the lateral bench seat, with Elizabeth and Asuka across on the other.

The four of them exited the VTOL and walked across the small-aircraft tarmac at the massive and affluent international airport. The UAE, being the supermodern nation that it is, is known for its opulence and excess, and its airport is no different. It has more than its fair share of attractions, shopping, and food for the wealthy world-travelers that pass through its gates. The first thing Asuka noticed were the tax and tariff free jewelers, and she quickly disappeared inside several of them. Beth solicited a beverage dealer for several bottles of Sheridan's, distinctive in their fused, twin-glass design and distilled coffee flavor.

Rei noticed a cluster of trees on the top floor of the concourse, so the inseparable pair found their way up the escalator network to the airport's award winning indoor conservatory. They walked along the artificial river and smelled the naturally filtered air put out by the palm trees and ferns, a welcome change of environment coming from the interior of the spartan and industrial military transport.

Confirming the time, the four returned to the concourse exit and showed their NERV IDs to the security at the light traffic apron. They all walked to the VTOL, Beth's refreshments in her bag, and Asuka lording her new ruby-studded gold bracelet over Rei.

"I am not a jewelry wearer, Asuka. How were you able to afford that?"

"We're both rich, Rei. I got it for a _really_ good price after showing the shopkeeper my NERV ID and telling him what I could do with the letter opener beside his register." Asuka darkly grinned at the memory of the guy's horrified expression. "Still, I paid for it, so there was no reason for that guy to act like such a baby about it."

They reached Kaji's VTOL. "Thank you all so much for only being 17 minutes late." The rogue deadpanned as they boarded. They secured themselves and their effects and Kaji sealed the craft and lifted up off the parking ramp. "On to Japan through Indian, Burman, and Tiawanese airspace. We're not going over China because we don't want them to know where we're coming from, but it's going to make the next 10 hours rather dry..."

The people in the passenger compartment collectively groaned.

* * *

One of the surface intersections in Tokyo-3 opened, the red-painted panels sliding back in four directions to reveal an air-traffic passage down to the actual surface of Hakone, Japan: The GeoFront.

As opposed to the dignified walk of Kawrou, Ritsuko, and the Professor, Mari and Misato ran at a full sprint to the disembarking passengers, only to stumble into each other and crash to the ground when they saw the tall and young blonde woman exit the aircraft.

Kaji emerged around from the cockpit to smirk at the pile of women as Beth covered her mouth and forced herself not to laugh.

"Colonel Katsuragi, you aren't projecting the image of a professional Officer, and this other crash victim must be the girl that blew DeBeers back to the stone age."

Misato picked herself up off the ground. "Okay, you know who we are. Who are you?"

"I'm the woman who saved Asuka's life. I'm the woman who's going to slip Shinji and Rei into China. Beth DuClaire; I am SEELE-03."

Misato's confused face went flat. She drew her handgun. Beth stared unflinchingly, straight into the barrel.

"I'm going to give you one more try, but only because I don't believe you."

"Inspector Kaji drew a gun on me when I mentioned it within his earshot. Is pulling a weapon a Pavlovian response around NERV?"

"There's a gun to your head and you're making jokes-" Kaji's hand snatched the pistol away from Misato.

"Correction. There _was_ a gun to her head. She _is_ SEELE-03 and she's been on our side since the beginning...well, not exactly our side, but she's been investigating the other SEELE Units for the Illuminati since SEELE was formed."

"And you came here to 'get Shinji and Rei into China'? Forgive me for _still_ wanting to shoot you."

"She's telling the truth, Misato." She recognized Shinji and Rei stretching their stiff muscles after the day-long flight. They were wearing strange clothing and Shinji looked a bit worse for wear, but she had a cascade of relief as she saw her kids come home.

"Shinji! Rei! ...ASUKA!?" She ran to the yellow-clad redhead and wrapped her in a hug. She quickly let go when Asuka winced at her shoulder.

"That's a graft over a gunshot wound, Misato! It still hurts when you put pressure on it."

"Asuka, what happened to you?"

"SEELE-05 happened. They sent somebody after me, I got shot, Section 2 extracted me, and Beth picked me up at the hospital. I've been in Paris since then. Apparently Shinji and Rei got it worse than I did?"

"Yeah, their train was destroyed...I assume you've already seen the medical treatment they needed." Shinji and Rei approached during the conversation. "Rei, I like your new tunic and those leggings, but why does Shinji look like an underweight Terminator?"

"We're wearing concealed tactical protection, Colonel Katsuragi. Shinji's coat covers his ballistic vest, while my entire ensemble is woven from carbon fiber."

"This is actually my second vest and jacket, Misato. The first set was torn to bits when a suicide bomber blew me through a bunch of tables."

"WHAT!?"

"The armor and my medical systems did their job, Misato. Said bomber is probably still getting scraped off the walls of the club they attacked."

"Indeed." Beth explained. "SEELE-05 and SEELE-02 posses nearly unlimited resources. Page sent a detachment of his most sophisticated security into Paris, and they caught up to us in a popular night spot...The club's security and a large number of partiers were killed. However, once Shinji and Rei made it through the initial shock, they made very short work of them. You'll see first hand when you download the footage."

Misato considered the turn of events. "Well, then lets go inside and get that taken care of."

* * *

"YOU WANT WHAT!?"

"Calm down, Dr. Akagi. NERV's cloning facilities are (not) a secret, not to SEELE or the Illuminati."

"I get that! What I don't understand is why you don't just use the facilities Kaworu was created in." Ritsuko turned away from Beth and looked at Shinji and Rei, sitting in office chairs and dreading the nausea that would come from the unbuffered neural download. "We know how Sarif transmits data to a neural implant, but we don't yet have the facilities we need to do it ourselves. So hold still-"

Ritsuko issued the commands from her terminal to connect the MAGI to Shinji and Rei's biochip. Shinji and Rei both groaned as the nausea hit as hundreds of gigabytes of high definition audio and video were transmitted from their brain to the nearest WiFi antenna.

"gonna throw up; gonna throw up; gonna throw up; gonna throw up; gonna throw up; gonna throw up-"

"Shut up, Shinji, it's already over." Ritsuko completed the transfer and the two teens recoiled and covered their now-sensitive eyes from the bright lights of the synchronization test control room. "I should note that the interesting side-effect of a neural upload is a hangover, of all things. Misato and the two of you have more in common than you realize."

"Now that your work is done, Dr. Akagi, lets allow them to rest and we'll discuss my decision to travel out here."

"Yes, lets. If you're a SEELE representative here to make peace with us by asking to clone yourself, I ask why you didn't use the facilities the Fifth Child was created in?"

Kaworu, Mari, Kaji, and Misato just happened to enter the room at that moment. Kaworu took the opportunity to solve Ritsuko's query.

"The only functional LCL cloning facilities SEELE possessed were the Lunar facilities at Tabtha Base, Dr. Akagi. After Unit-06 and I were deployed, well, there was no reason to maintain that overpriced garage, was there? SEELE, the UN, the IPEA, and whatever other alphabet soup organizations that slithered from the sewers to Occupy the Moon all abandoned it to save money. Ms. DuClaire does not have the means to return to Tabtha and reactivate the facilities, does she?"

"And you don't object to seeing a woman who calls herself a SEELE member waltzing around NERV HQ, entering our most secure facilities?"

"Sure, why not?"

Ritsuko looked like she was going to scream. "GYAAAH! This job's gonna make me go postal! Are ANY of you listening to what's happening here?"

Misato actually came to Beth's defense as she watched the playback first-person shooting from Rei's position on the upper level of the nightclub. Three more agents in suits and ties fell to Rei's rifle fire as Shinji lit two others on fire with a grenade. "Beth is telling the truth, and we've got proof right here on film." She turned to Elizabeth. "Our cloning lab was destroyed. Shinji and Rei decided to protest Gendo's experiments in the most excellent way possible. We can give you a clone daughter, but we have to Rebuild the lab, and that'll take time and money. Money isn't a problem, but time is. It'll take more than a year to get it ready to make you a daughter."

"That's fine, time is no object for me. To begin my side of the bargain, I hold the penthouse at Hengsha Court Gardens. The Children will be staying there. I can get them in contact with the people that'll sell them the equipment they need. Between NERV's armory and the illegal market the Illuminati controls, they'll be well protected as they invade Tai-Yong and attack Zhao."

"Beth, I'm not sure NERV will be able to hold up our end of this bargain."

"What do you mean, Dr. Akagi?"

"Rei and Kaworu are synthetic bodies for organic souls. I know you're already aware of this, but Rei is Lillith and Kaworu is Adam. We humans can create synthetic tissue, organs, even a synthetic human brain, but we cannot create a soul that will inhabit it. All we've been able to do is create a home for a soul that _already exists._ You may hear crazy talk coming from my mouth, but my interactions with Rei-3 prove my point. The soul provides consciousness, intelligence, and -in Adam and Lillith's case- the tangible AT Field. Rei lost hers when Lillith's body was destroyed by the Lance. Kaworu has not suffered an event so traumatic, yet...I was working with Rei-3 at a time where an unusual series of events involving the Fifteenth Angel and Shinji's temper resulted in Rei-2 living inside Shinji...That's the best description of the scenario that I can give you, but until Rei willingly separated from Shinji's soul, her third body was an empty husk, devoid of thought or emotion. I'll create a clone daughter for you, but not until NERV can create a 'synthetic' soul. Giving you a soulless clone like Rei-3 before her unification...It's not a risk I'm willing to take."

Beth contemplated Ritsuko's words. "I appreciate your decision to be candid, Dr. Akagi. I may not be much older than Colonel Katsuragi, here, but I'm not getting any younger either. I understand NERV's need to face tangible threats, but I do hope you'll give my request priority in your research."

"Of course I will, the Artificial Evolution Laboratory exists for this very reason."

"Then, if you plan on accommodating me, we need to get the Children to China as soon as possible."

"That's right!" Misato received a burst of energy. "Shinji, Rei, make sure you're ready to go by tomorrow morning. We need to hit the bastards at TYM before they're ready for us."

"Excuse me, Misato, aren't you forgetting a few people?" Mari and Asuka crept up behind her and crossed their arms.

"No. I don't care what you two think, you aren't prepared to go jump into this like it's a game-"

"Misato, you're not going to win this argument. Everybody in this room has a dog in this fight. Shinji, Rei, Asuka, and Kaworu were all attacked by SEELE. I have a confirmed kill on a SEELE Unit. We're all experienced killers, and we're a team. All five of us."

"No, _hell_ no! Mari and Kaworu stay here because we need Unit-06 and Asuka doesn't have any supplemental power like Shinji, Rei, or Kaworu do."

"I don't believe it." Shinji thought out loud. "We're putting the band back together!"

"UNIT-06! Is nobody listening to me!?"

"I have a solution for that, Misato." Shinji grinned and Kaworu raised an eyebrow.

* * *

"Sakura, you're capable of walking on your own, you know." A trio of kids walked hand in hand down a Tokyo-3 street.

"Yeah, but I like hanging on to you and Hikari! She's my new big sister!"

Touji Suzuhara had managed to go from wheelchair-bound disabled veteran to track runner in the six months since his designation as the Fourth Child, and the subsequent destruction of Evangelion Unit-03, torn to bits with him inside. His 8 year old sister still hadn't quite forgiven him for stupidly punching Shinji when the two first met, his less-than-solid logic stating that Shinji was responsible for Sakura Suzuhara's crippling injuries when the Fourth Angel threw Unit-01 into their apartment building. Now, he was standing to his young sister's left, holding her hand and hoisting her up as his girlfriend -and Sakura's self-proclaimed big sister- held her right hand as they walked around Tokyo-3. His phone rang with Shinji's number appearing on the ID screen.

"Shinji, why haven't you showed your face in 3 weeks? Summer's almost over, man-

Uhh...Ok. I can be at NERV HQ...Yeah, my card's still good. Listen, I'm here with Hikari and my little sister, can I drop them off, first...What do you mean 'they need to see this'?

Bring Kensuke? Why? Shinji what happened-...YOU WHAT!?" He ended the call and turned to Hikari and Sakura.

"Touji, what was that all about?" His pigtailed girlfriend asked him.

"...I'm gonna start piloting Eva Unit-_06_."

"WHAT!? Unit-03 almost killed you! You can't let them make you do it again-" Touji held up his hand.

"Shinji personally asked me to. He said he needed somebody to protect NERV HQ while he 'goes after the bastards'. No, I have no idea what he's talking about, but if he needs me, I'm gonna help him." He dialed his phone again. "Hey, Sukes, want a tour of NERV HQ? Meet me outside the surface train entrance."

"Does that mean you're gonna help Shinji, big bro?" His sister asked him.

"Yeah...I guess I am. Let's get you home."

* * *

Ritsuko and Kaworu met the Fourth Child and his entourage at NERV's surface entrance. Ritsuko had to give Kensuke a death glare as the boy repeatedly tried to pull his camera on the various facilities, but there were no real objections from the guests. The doctor led the group through the labyrinthine levels as they made their way down to the sync test control room, and Kaworu interviewed Touji as they traveled.

"Fourth Child, I'm sure you feel confused at all this, but I've brought you here to create a link to _my_ Evangelion Unit. We've never been introduced, but I'm Kaworu Nagisa, the Fifth Child."

"Yeah, I heard there was another one. Why do you need me?"

"Because the other Five Children, including myself, will be arguing with Colonel Katsuragi about following the First and Third to China to assault a member of a shadow government collective. We need someone to remain in wait with an Evangelion on alert."

Hikari, being the perceptive one, overheard. "Did you just say 'shadow government collective'? Tinfoil hat, much?"

"The organization is real, and you'll understand when you speak to Shinji and Rei."

* * *

While Mari and Misato were debating the merits of sending everybody to China, Shinji whispered to Rei to get into her plugsuit, and they emerged from the locker rooms to approach Unit-01.

"Shinji, if you plan on performing a sync test, will my presence not interfere with your performance?"

"I'm not going for a high sync. We're going to talk to my mom. Hey, Sarge, I need to do a test with a passenger, today." He nodded over to the crew chief as the entry plug was opened.

When he saw Ritsuko and Touji enter the test control room, he helped Rei inside and she splashed down through the LCL. She grabbed a handrail on the control capsule and balanced on a stairstep as Shinji sat at the controls. The door shut and an electrical current activated the LCL in the plug. It shifted from blood orange liquid to a transparent gas and Shinji and Rei felt a burst of energy and alertness as the oxygen-rich atmosphere enhanced their senses.

Meanwhile, Touji entered the pilots' locker room and pulled himself into his new plugsuit, an exact copy of his original, shredded one. The support crews helped him into Unit-06 and he swallowed his fear of Unit-03 as the door shut.

"Oh man this is so cool! We're gonna watch Touji activate the newest Eva Unit! Hikari, you've gotta admit you're proud of him." Kensuke inspected every centimeter of the control room.

"I am. I'm just worried. Where's Shinji? He owes us an explanation." She looked around the control room.

"Right here, Hikari. Touji, do you read me?"

"Yeah, loud and clear." Their portraits appeared on the monitors covering the control room walls.

"Shinji, mind explaining why Rei is hanging off the side of the capsule?" Ritsuko asked as she increased Unit-01's field of view, to show Rei balancing on the footrails.

"Because we have somebody to talk to, and you'd flip out of you saw her sitting on my lap or something."

"Not that the idea isn't appealing." Rei finished for him. Ritsuko's face hit her desk.

"Will you kids ever do _anything_ properly?"

"Shinji, Rei, what exactly did you bring us out here for?" Hikari asked them.

"We need somebody to keep one Eva Unit active at HQ. Up until now, Kaworu had been on alert with Unit-06, but we've all ganged up on Misato and demanded that the team come to China with us. It's a long story, but we're going to take out the people who attacked us."

"You mean...when the Army accused NERV of treason against Japan?"

"Not the JSDF, the people who wrote the false report accusing us. One of the leaders is in Hengsha."

"Shinji...you're going to go assassinate somebody!"

"I know it sounds bad, but look at my eyes." He zoomed the video to a closeup of his and Rei's faces.

"Are you...glowing?"

"They're implants after Rei and I were mortally wounded when somebody tried to kill _us_."

"WHAT?!"

"Exactly. We've been gone for the last few weeks because we had to get medical treatment in the US, then we went to Paris to investigate one of the people who went after us."

"So...you've already killed-"

"Well, Rei and I haven't, but Mari has."

"What?"

The perky brunette answered Hikari's question. "We found out that one of the bastards was in England. Since I'm British, I went home for a couple days and had a chat with him. Unfortunately, he isn't dead, just a vegetable."

"I...I...why are you all so blithely talking about killing like this?" Hikari was becoming uncomfortable at her surroundings. Rei spoke up.

"Hikari. Do you remember when I explained why I remain distant from my peers?"

"Yeah, it was after Touji got hurt. But...the Angels are gone...all of that's over now-"

"No it is not. We Children speak about death easily because we are soldiers, despite our behavior and appearance. We accept our roles because, as Asuka can relate, we face opponents who will go far beyond NERV's ethical boundaries to complete their goals."

"Who?"

"People who wanted to see the Third and Fourth Impact."

"And Asuka? What happened?"

Asuka rolled down her dress sleeve to show Hikari her gunshot wound.

"Oh my God!"

"It's okay, Hikari. I got patched up just like Shinji and Rei did. And even if Misato doesn't like it..." She glared at the raven-haired woman. "We're all in this together, and we're going after the bastards that attacked us. Oh, and for the record. You two plebes aren't allowed to repeat any of this, _ever._"

While Hikari and Kensuke were learning classified NERV information, Ritsuko was discussing Unit-06 with Kaworu.

"And you're sure he can sync?"

"How was Unit-00 controlled, Doctor?"

"With a piece of Lillith's soul. Rei didn't have a family member to link to it."

"Exactly. Unit-06 is identical in function. I have complete influence over myself, and as such, over it."

"So..." She rotated her hand, obliging him to continue.

"It will accept Mr. Suzuhara if I direct it to."

"Alright then. ATTENTION: Unit-01 and Unit-06 ACTIVATION! Repeat Unit-01 and Unit-06 ACTIVATION! Enable A-10 connection! Pilot vitals, comms, and display online! Activate Unit internal power!

The two garantuans eye's glowed and Aoba's monitors picked up the plugsuits' life-support reports while Makoto monitored the sync for Shinji and Touji.

"Unit-01 performance: Nominal. Unit-06 sync at 09%. Concentrate, Touji. We need you."

"I'm trying, but if feels so weird in here..." Touji answered from within.

Kaworu closed his eyes, breathed in, and raised his hand towards Unit-06.

"Dr. Akagi!" Makoto shouted. "Unit-06 synchronization is at 60%! I don't know how Touji just did it!"

Kaworu winked to the blonde scientist.

* * *

Shinj and Rei closed their eyes and cleared their minds. Shinji heard a voice inside his head.

"Shinji, what happened to you. I can tell that you're injured-"

= We're going after SEELE, Mom. =

"What!? Shinji you-"

= I know you're worried, and that's exactly why we have to go. We're going to be in China as we locate SEELE-05. =

"Shinji, it's too dangerous."

= Mom, Rei and I were nearly killed until we got billions of tiny robots injected inside us. SEELE hit our subway train with a missile strike. =

"And you think getting back is a good idea!? Shinji, I'm proud of your courage, but I understand SEELE. They are truly evil human beings. One of the reasons I entered Unit-01 was so I'd have the power to resist them personally."

= Yeah, but now it's up to me and Rei...Wait, why isn't Rei hearing this? =

"I'm having a little trouble bringing her thoughts into my own...Shinji, lower your own sync."

Shinji focused less intensely. His mother's voice became muffled, but he began to hear Rei calling to them.

"Shinji! Your...sync to Unit-01...is overpowering my...own-"

"I'm consciously controlling it, Rei...I can't believe I'm saying this in front of my mother, but climb on my lap." Shinji disabled the video output from Unit-01 to the control room. Misato noticed and shouted into the radio.

"SHINJI, YOU'D BETTER NOT BE DOING THAT IN MY ROBOT!"

"We're not, Misato! We just can't focus well!"

Rei climbed on top of Shinji and rolled over to face him. "I think I see where you're going with this, Shinji." She took his hands and pressed her forehead against his own. She used her connection to Shinji to speak to Yui. = Dr. Ikari? =

"Rei. I wish I could meet you in person. I want to beg your forgiveness for the things my ex-husband did to you. Please, call me Yui."

= Yui. = Rei's mind spoke to her source of life. = Do you oppose my relationship with Shinji? =

"On what grounds? That you were created from the Angels NERV and Gehirn exist to kill?"

= No...that I was created from DNA samples from you... =

"Let's see...I don't feel any 'family' connection at all. The most Gendo did to you was give you my pointed chin and figure. Everthing else about you, _especially_ your heart and soul, belong to Lillith, and I'm certain you have no desire to destroy the planet, do you?"

Rei's confidence whithered. = In the past- =

"In the past you were controlled by Gendo."

= Dr. Ikari, please forgive me for being disrespectful, but what did you see in him? =

"Unlike me, he had a hard life as a young man, but he was still strong, intelligent, courageous...I think you see where I'm going with this. I didn't know that I'd be his greatest weakness until just before Unit-01's contact experiment. Instrumentality was (not) the purpose of the Eva Program until Gendo and SEELE made it that way. With Unit-01, I'd have the power to resist them personally, and I could personally protect my Shinji."

= Intelligence, courage...That is what I see in Shinji. I also see his constant selflessness. = Rei admitted to Yui. = Peers such as Colonel Katsuragi have always been kind to me, but she never related to me as Shinji has. His kindness was the first true connection I've ever felt. Commander Ikari manipulated me. Shinji's kindness is what saved me...and prevented me from destroying humanity. =

"Then you owe him your gratitude, don't you? Trust me, you don't want to break his heart when your future mother in law has control of a giant robot."

= ...Mother in law? =

"That means you have my blessing...But first, I suppose there's no dissuading you from attacking SEELE, is there?"

= No ma'am, this must be done. =

* * *

After confirming Touji in Unit-06 and extracting Shinji and Rei from Unit-01, both still fully clothed -to Misato's relief, Kaji and Elizabeth met the Five Children in NERV's armory.

"We took the liberty of updating the plugsuits to match this assignment." Kaji handed compressed black-and-blue suits to their three owners. "They've been re-dyed, all three of them have been stripped of their identification and decorations, and we've replaced the power conduit with battery packs. This way they'll function away from an Eva Unit. Shinji and Rei have a full-suite neural interface, but, with the plugsuits, you three-" he nodded to Asuka, Mari, and Kaworu, "will have a radio uplink and health monitor here at NERV."

"Why the bad paint job? I want my red one back!"

"You're going to be operating in the dark, Asuka. Your equipment should match your environment. The black and blue will make you all but disappear in darkness."

Kaji moved on to the wall of armaments they'd be smuggling in.

"Shinji, Rei, you two first." He picked two handguns and one assault rifle from the wall. "Your Zenith 10's are already decked out, thanks to David. You're good to go with those." He picked up Rei's stolen FR-27. "The rifle Rei knocked off of one of those chemical freaks needed some work, but we've got it suppressed, it now has a red-dot sight, and Beth was kind enough to buy the targeting computer that smuggler in Paris was selling. With one illegal targeting mod, the .303" flechettes are capable of firing in a 30 degree arc of the line of sight. Remember that if you get pinned behind a desk or railing. You'll get a load of full magazines when we arrive in Hengsha." He handed the rifle to Rei, who checked the new modifications.

"Asuka."

The fiery redhead became alert. "Yes, Kaji?"

"You get two TMP-18 submachine guns. 9mm, silenced, compact and concealable. 900 rounds per minute _per weapon._ Fire in short bursts, or the recoil will have you shooting everything but your target."

"I'm proficient with small arms, Kaji. I'm well aware of muzzle rise."

"Mari." He turned to the strange young woman. "I'm giving you your SCAR back-"

"AWESOME!"

"...I've supplied you a new ACOG sight. It provides 6X magnification, and you're going to pack both the long-range barrel and the close-quarters variant-"

"AWESOME!"

"...In case you haven't already figured it out, you're sniper support. A SCAR 17 makes for an excellent designated marksman rifle, and the long-range barrel extends the maximum range out to 800 meters-"

"AWESOME!"

Kaji facepalmed. = That is really going to get on my nerves. = "Practice changing the barrels quickly and quietly, and don't say it again." He glared at her as she was drawing a deep breath.

"...dammit."

"Kaworu. From what I understand, you're still half-Angel, right?"

"Yes, Inspector, I am."

"While I'm tempted to give you nothing and just tell you to pummel your opponents into submission," Kaji smirked, "you're getting a Widowmaker TX." He handed the shotgun to the young man. "Gas operated, high rate of fire. Every sniper needs a bodyguard, and with an active AT field, I can't think of a better man for the job. You're going to stop anything from getting close to Mari so she can focus on concentrating at long-range-"

The insane girl burst into the conversation. "Hey Kaworu, that mean's we get to slink off to dark corners together while the others have to get shot at!"

"Remind me why I put up with you, again?"

"Because _I_ actually know how to have _fun_!"

Shinji and Asuka were very entertained. "Come on, Fifth, you just gonna let her get away with that?"

"...Unfortunately, I don't have a particularly clever insult to give."

* * *

Night fell on Tokyo-3.

Asuka found herself back in her old room in Misato's apartment. = Wondergirl _still_ hasn't decorated this place! = She thought to herself as she looked at the bare walls of the room. There was a mirror hung, Rei's closet was at least stocked with some variety, and there were several hair brushes and toiletries on the room's wardrobe. = Shinji gave Rei his room, _of course_, and he's on the couch...I wonder how long until he makes it into Wondergirl's waiting legs. =

Aside from Rei, the other person in Shinji's room was Misato, who entered after Rei retired for the night.

"Rei, two nights ago...yesterday morning in Paris, I suppose...I was harsh on you and Shinji."

"No need to apologize-"

"Yes there is. You _five_ are about to launch out into an invasion...up to now, we've been playing defense. This could be...our last conversation, and I didn't want you having a bad impression of me."

"I don't. I know you care for Shinji-"

"And you. I...I was kind of a bad girl at your age. Hooking up with Kaji is something I should've waited on, and now that we're engaged...I know you're a lot smarter, and grown up, than I am. I shouldn't have gotten angry at either of you. At least you and I know we're more alike that I thought, now." Misato smiled to her.

Rei returned said smile. It was easy for Misato to see what Shinji found so attractive.

* * *

The morning's first light...

Five young adults wearing civilian clothing, all towing wheeled suitcases carrying armor and excellent weapons, approach a NERV VTOL. Ryouji Kaji ran through the preflight checks to bring the bird online, and they departed for Hengsha, global seat of Tai-Yong Medical, the company belonging to a powerful conspirator on the SEELE council.

* * *

A/N: In case you didn't notice, Mari's SCAR is the only 'Real World' weapon in this story (Everything else is from Human Revolution). A: It's my favorite weapon _ever_. B: She kicked ass with in in 'Legend'.


End file.
